Re: Tom Kyte a false idol?

On Tuesday, March 3, 2015 at 11:33:49 AM UTC-5, steveg..._at_gmail.com wrote:
> I just found this thread while trawling around looking for something and actually Geomancer, I agree with you.
>
> I find it extremely irritating how the self appointed select few come across as being better than the rest of us, but are they really? It may seem that way because they have a public platform from which to demonstrate their alleged superiority. However, there's nothing wrong with being a capable, smart, hard working Oracle pro, just going about your business quietly and efficiently without shouting from the mountain tops every 5 minutes about how brilliant you think you are. The sheeple who buy into this are even worse IMO. Some people just continue to gorge on the Oracle Kool-Aid and some don't. Personally, I don't and I don't think TK is some kind of Oracle messiah either. 3 reasons:
>
> 1. I've been to some of his so called presentations and he came across as having the personality of a rock. I was unimpressed. This is also true of some of the high profile authors who the sheeple also admire and adore.
>
> 2. A couple of years ago he agreed to participate in a 'performance tuning US tour' where the participants were billed as "performance rock stars". Seriously? I've been an Oracle DBA for 20+ years, do not consider myself an "expert" in any way and just try to do my best and be the best DBA I can be in my daily work. If I'd been approached with this gig, my response would have been, "No. That's extremely embarrassing and comes across as being unbelievably arrogant. Bad idea. Try again". TK and two of his buddies signed up and off they went on their jolly around the US. I didn't attend.
>
> 3. From time to time I have scanned TK's AskTom thing and I find many of his answers to be quite rude and condescending. That said, much of what I've seen is posted by people who very obviously have not read the documentation or even tried to figure it out for themselves. I'm sure TK gets frustrated with this and some of his replies reflect that. However, the sheeple's lazy incompetence is what fuels the ego and status of people like TK.
>
> I reserve an ounce of respect for TK on the basis I read somewhere that although he comes across as all knowing in his AskTom blog thing, he never makes any mention of how long it took him (or others) to arrive at a complete, correct and definitive answer. Fair enough.
>
> Bottom line, the Oracle world just like many walks of life, will always attract some who will seek to raise their profile because they want to be seen as leaders, the cream-of-the-crop, the A-Listers, whatever you want to call them. Equally there will be a section of the peasant class who'll hang on their every word and defend them to the death (ala the replies to Geomancer's 'heretical' post). I have little time for either group and prefer to be my own 'expert' (for want of a better word).
>
> Just don't get me started on the elitist Oak Table crowd of the annual 'love-in' known as Open World. ;-)
>
> Peace out,
> Steve.

I have never read a response from Tom that was crude or condescending on AskTom or anywhere else. I notice you do not provide an actual reference link.

• Mark D Powell --