“Passing up an opportunity to comment on a Paul Thurrott rant is like driving past paramedics at the scene of an accident. I know I should just keep driving and not hold up traffic, but there’s an instinctive need to find out how truly awful things are and to determine what could have happened to cause such a disaster,” Daniel Eran writes for RoughlyDrafted.
Eran writes, “It’s only when Thurrott takes off his Microsoft historian hat and attempts to defend the company that his writing begins to induce a violent gag reflex. It’s not that Thurrott just really likes the company he’s worked for and around for well over a decade. Really, good for him for being excited and enthusiastic about the subjects he covers.”
“What really is so disturbing about his ad naseum rants against Apple and Google–and any other company that dares to compete against Microsoft–is that he delivers them, not as straightforward, factual criticism based on real issues, but rather as a falsely contrived bit of calculated emotionalism and populist pandering in a truly slimy way, mixing in facts he makes up on the fly and failing to cite any real support for his claims,” Eran writes.
Eran writes, “To top things off, Thurrott then sugar coats his ultra right-wing style absolutist fundamentalism with a thick, campy layer of extreme left-wing liberal faux-outrage.”
“You lie when convenient, invent facts to mislead, religiously portray Microsoft as something it’s not, make broad generalizations of Mac users all being an irrational bunch of kooks that don’t deserve to exist, lash out at anyone who says anything you don’t want to hear, make false accusations against them using words you don’t even understand, and then stick your fingers in your ears and cry about invented persecutions when it’s pointed out how wrong, deluded, and hypocritical you actually are,” Eran writes.
Oh, there’s more — much, much more — in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “RichT” for the heads up.]
Kelly McNeill:
Its called “analogy” or “metaphor.”
In writing, the stronger an analogy the better. The left/right wing “generalizations” (as you call them) are nearly operational laws for the wingnuts.
Mr. Eran’s choice of analogy is perfect. Almost too perfect. Make’s one wonder whether foisting Windows on the world is part of some neocon conspiracy.
BustingTheSkullsOfIdiots:
You should know better than to truncate, abuse, or distort a definition to prove some “point.” Your “definition” of the word couldn’t be more inaccurate without requiring you to bust your own skull.
None of the people you list are even remotely “fundamentalist” on any issue. None of them. And if you were even remotely clever, you would know that.
You would also recognize the utterly flawed rhetoric of correlating “belief in fundamental truth” and some kind of right/left label. This is not the first time your writings have revealed your true level of perception and comprehension.
Eran is bright and usually on target, as he is here with Thurrott. But he often interjects his politics which damages his arguments and limits his audience.
This pushing of politics is a form of fascism, an attempt to drive political opponents out of even non political discussions. The tactics Eran uses are no less loathsome than that of the digg crowd who try to bury Eran’s articles by modding them down. He is smart, but he needs to grow up and stop acting like some Hollywood bimbo mouthing off pet non relevant hatreds.
Um, excuse me Mr. BustingThe SkullsOf Idiots, but you make the claim that Daniel Eran condemning Thurrot for leaving out facts is actually hilarious. Daniel has been smacked around for playing fast and loose with the truth many times. And yet, you provide no information to back up that claim. Are we just supposed to believe every thing you say because you say it is so? How about a link to a story by Daniel Eran where he demonstrably lying? Then your claim would have some validity. Right now you’re just talking out you a**h***.
Critical thinking. It’s not just for breakfast anymore.
Daniel Eran’s articles are right to the point.
RoughlyDrafted.com is quickly becoming my favorite blog.
Not to mention Daniel’s extensive knowledge about Apple’s evolution, history and trends. I would say not only Apple’s but the industry in general. I’ve never read anything on Daniel’s blog which can not be supported with facts or either my own personal experience.
According to my experience, there’s no way to support Microsoft the way Thurrot does. Sorry. If you are a hardcore Windows user, the only explanation is, you’ve never used anything else, you don’t know it or you can’t afford it.
There is a HUGE difference between Daniel Eran and Paul Thurrot.
I think it’s great that MDN puts up RDM articles.
The listed link is not to Thurrott’s site, it goes to a correction of his FUD, big difference.
Stop the Military-Industrial-Prison-Congressional-Media-Complex!
@Kelly,
“…the associations to “religious zealots is another thing entierly… womething which was not only unnecessary but was downright offensive in my opinion.
I know its popular to bash Christianity…”
The associating of “religious zealots” to “Christianity” is yours, not Eran’s. I often see this jumping to a conclusion from a lot of conservative/born-again Christians who, for some unfanthomable reason, seem to equate any mention of “religious zealotry” is to anti-Christianity.
Christianity isn’t the only religion with fundamentalist zealots.
And for any Christian who thinks fundamentalist, Christian zealotry is OK, go read the bible and think a bit about what Christ told Simon, from whose name the word zealot comes from.
“What really is so disturbing about his ad naseum rants against Apple and Google–and any other company that dares to compete against Microsoft–is that he delivers them, not as straightforward, factual criticism based on real issues, but rather as a falsely contrived bit of calculated emotionalism and populist pandering in a truly slimy way, mixing in facts he makes up on the fly and failing to cite any real support for his claims,” Eran writes.
Obviously a liberal.
I don’t think this is the place to discuss politics (I don’t disagree with it, since I defend freedom of oppinion and speech), it’s just not the place.
Now, while comparisons to different groups has been established, the issue (and the bottom line) is, how much sense, and how accurate is what Daniel Eran says. So, I’d suggest to read beyong the personal oppinion and analyze the information, and get your own opinion.
Beyond the liberal/conservative, right/wrong, republican/democratic issue, there’s something that I highlight from Daniel Eran, in comparison with Thurrot:
Factual / Non Factual.
And I found out (beyond agreeing or disagreeing with Eran’s personal views) that his research matches the facts, and that those fact can be cross-examined and verified, while Thurrot’s can’t.
So, peace to my liberal and conservative friends, and let our love for technology be a mean to put aside our political and ideological differences.
Ooops, lots of typos on my last post, I know…
I deeply apologize (before being treated as an ignorant, which I am, but I try not no be…) …. I think the text can be understood, though.
Rasterbator,
Funny – sounds more like Rush “One Vicodin or two” Limbaugh to me.
Remember the whole Michael J. Fox smear or how about his recent foray into surrealism “The Scooter Libby verdict is good for conservatives and Republicans”.
You 29-percenters really need to start thinking a little.
I’m adding RoughlyDrafted to my prime site list.
I loved the excerpt provided by MDN and I’m going off to read the rest of it. The fact that it apparently offends a number of people (besides Thurrott) in various ways is just a bonus. Quit taking yourselves so seriously!
I wonder if Thurrott will sue for libel?
MW “near” – as near as you can get to the blunt truth
I agree with BustingTheSkullsOfIdiots.
Daniel Eran accusing somebody of cherrypicking his facts is indeed hilarious … because Eran himself is notorious for exactly the same thing. He doesn’t know how to construct a compelling argument.
Eran consistently preaches to the choir. All you fanboys who agree with him – by all means, go ahead and bookmark his blog and read it to your heart’s content. Why bother reading something that might actually challenge your assumptions, when you can spoonfeed yourself?
Basically, Eran’s writings are not compelling to anyone who doesn’t already agree with him.
He definitely limits his own audience, and undermines his own credibility, by his haphazard arguments, the wild tangents into irrelevant topics, the repeated failure to solicit comment from people and companies he writes about, by cherrypicking facts, and by pretending he knows more than he actually does.
..Thurrott was just one big orifice already…
What’s ironic is that for every instance of “Paul Thurrot”, you can swap in “Mac Daily News” and the statement carries just as much weight and accuracy. I know it’s not a popular thing to say, but still holds much truth.
Have you not noticed how childish the Mac Daily News Takes have gotten?
“Thurrott is the Ann Coulter of Microsoft… “
HAHAHAHAHA!
No truer words…
> I wonder if Thurrott will sue for libel?
Here’s an idea: Mac users should sue Bill Gates for racial discrimination.
Think of it, when you are identified as a “Mac user” in a crowd of PC “people”, see how many jabs, jokes, and insults are similar to what minorities have suffered with.
……and PC heads wonder why Mac users are such a vocal group. We have to defend ourselves.
Wow, that’s an aweful lot of well placed adjectives. I guess I’ll have to take a peak at Roughly Drafted for myself.
>I wonder if Thurott will sue for libel?
Two reasons why he can’t:
1) The stuff being written about him needs to be written as fact. For instance, I can call him a butt-head. That’s my opinion. But I cannot call him a child-molesting butt-head. That would libel, if published, slander if spoken.
2) He would have to proove that Dan Eran damaged him in some way, financially or socially. That would be hard for Thurott to do, since it is difficult to prove injury to a worm.
Oops! Did I just say that!
I just shed a tear of happiness…
“Have you not noticed how childish the Mac Daily News Takes have gotten?”
MDN takes are written by somebody with the mental level and business experience of an 15 year old teenager. it’s always been that way. Don’t expect any change soon.
“What’s ironic is that for every instance of “Paul Thurrot”, you can swap in “Mac Daily News” and the statement carries just as much weight and accuracy.”
It’d also be possible to substitute “roughlydrafted” for “Paul Thurrot” and have the criticisms read equally true.