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Re:What Medieval Medicine and Computer Engineering have in c... by Dylanlacey on Monday November 08, 2010 @06:58PM (#1884604)
I think software quackery is perhaps the most easily drawn comparison here. Pick your favourite popular 'thing'; Rails, or BDD, or the grand-daddy, Agile.

Now, do we have charismatic preacher men drawing up a crowd and selling their patented tonic? Does it make your dick bigger and your stories more complete? Will it put a sparkle in your eye and a boost in your conversion rate? Will it How! All for the low low price of $99.99, that's $99.99!

Does it sometimes work? Sure! Is it a sure thing? No! Is it quackery? And How!

Re:What Medieval Medicine and Computer Engineering have in c... by andrewl on Monday November 08, 2010 @10:45PM (#1885214)
You don't have to pay to use Rails, BDD, Agile, or other tools and approaches. Certainly there are books and courses for sale, but also quite a lot of material for free. Saying "Here's a 'medicine,' it might work for you in some circumstances, but it's certainly not always appropriate, and by the way it's free, have as much as you like," is not the promotional pitch of a quack.