In the programming/blogging/startup sector? Yes. Like or dislike Joel, you would know who JL was referring to if she had mentioned him just by his first name.
Huh? I'd think that Mitch Kapor is far, far more well-known. I can go up to my parents and talk about Mitch Kapor and they'll say "Oh, the Lotus 1-2-3 guy that used to do transcendental meditation." If I mention Joel Spolsky, they'll be like "Who?"
I think this is very much a generational thing. Spolsky writes a trendy blog that anyone reading Hacker News will be familiar with. Kapor, like Gates, is one of the titans of the early PC world. But that also means his most relevant work (Chandler being only famous for failing in an interesting way) happened before many of the readers here were born.
Another question, how relevant is Kapor to our daily work TODAY? I don't happen to use Lotus Notes, but I have learned a thing or two from Joel's articles. That is why I remember his name and keep reading his blog.
I don't mean to diminish it's achievement, it is just that it does not play a big role in my life. I use Open Office maybe 20 times a year to write some business letters. That's it.
You should read Jessica's book...it's really very good. She has detailed interviews with many of the people who started the technology boom. If you're going to spend a lot of time thinking about tech startups, it can't hurt to learn the history.
It is a great book. It is especially a great book if you don't have much time to read and can just pick it up and read a story in a short period of time.
