My GIS is Better Than Yours (and other Lies)
I completely agree with the author of this article. As GIS professionals we here the debates all the time. We hear the fanboyism all the time. Full disclosure, I almost always us ESRI products, but I am open to any software or hardware set up. I use ESRI because that is what my company purchased when they made the choice many years ago and I am most experienced in it. To say that it is the best is silly.
I once had a coworker tell me that he was not impressed with ArcMap because it crashed when he was watching. It is true that ArcMap crashes often, but I can crash any GIS software. I am just reckless enough to click on everything that I see.
I also think that this sentiment should be extended to GIS work styles. Sometimes people find a solution that is quite successful and then never think about alternate ways to get the job done. I think it is important to always try to think about new/alternate ways to get the job done. Having a stable of techniques allow you to adapt as the job adapts. There are certainly correct and incorrect results, but how you get there is never better or worse. Each person has their own way of doing things and there is always room to learn something new from them.