David S. Platt, Microsoft ‘Software Legend’

This is great. David S. Platt is the Harvard comp sci professor quoted yesterday by Reuters reporter Franklin Paul predicting doom for the iPhone. Paul identifies Platt only as a Harvard professor and as the author of a book titled Why Software Sucks…And What You Can Do About It. Ends up most of Platt’s books are about programming for Microsoft’s .Net, he teaches a .Net course at Harvard (they teach .Net at Harvard?), and has been “selected by Microsoft as one of their Software Legends”.

I’m not arguing that a Microsoft background precludes you from criticizing Apple products (or vice versa). But it is the sort of information that ought to be disclosed by the reporter.

(Thanks to Elliott Hughes.)

★ Tuesday, 26 June 2007