After re-reading both accounts, it's clear to me that Brett misunderstood Poul-Henning's argument. Poul-Henning said to "just build the damn bikeshed, I don't care what color it is," whereas Brett said, "Poul-Henning's assertion that all such ideas should be dismissed as "bikeshedding" reflects this dismissive attitude"
I read Poul-Henning's argument, which did not say that ideas should be dismissed, but rather 'just built', as attempting to contribute to a constructive spirit, and Glass's argument as defending the broken management process.
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Fixed link: http://www.quora.com/Hacker-Culture/Who-was-Brett-Glass-as-n...
Brett Glass's statement of rebuttal here is an amusing addition to the story and worth reading (even if you probably won't be on his side).
After re-reading both accounts, it's clear to me that Brett misunderstood Poul-Henning's argument. Poul-Henning said to "just build the damn bikeshed, I don't care what color it is," whereas Brett said, "Poul-Henning's assertion that all such ideas should be dismissed as "bikeshedding" reflects this dismissive attitude"
I read Poul-Henning's argument, which did not say that ideas should be dismissed, but rather 'just built', as attempting to contribute to a constructive spirit, and Glass's argument as defending the broken management process.