Peopleware Papers: Notes on the Human Side of Software, The

Chapter 60. Industry Icons

The conference center, one of Amsterdam's more interesting meeting venues, was a converted church, its pews replaced with theater seats and its vaulted sanctuary turned into an auditorium, complete with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment. I was delivering the keynote for the annual meeting of a European CASE users group and could not resist commenting on the awe-inspring setting. Noting an ornately carved pulpit perched high above stage left, I started musing about what it might be like to address the group from those lofty heights. In a moment of inspired mischief, I told the audience that I had actually requested to speak from the pulpit, but had been refused by the management.

It brought down the house when I ...