I've been around Slashdot since the 90s and I think you're full of shit. Discourse is just as bad now as it has always been. Shit, it's been years since I came upon a GNAA link.

I don't understand why I as a web developer have any use for IE. I don't target the Ice Weasel or Maxthon browsers, I target the W3C standard. Why would I care about IE as a web developer? I'm seriously asking? What is MS's argument for devs here?

Sure, but the vast majority of engineers are never seen by anyone but their coworkers. If you feel it impacts your business you set a dress code. Under no circumstance is it productive or profitable to engage in passive aggressive disdain from people jealous of engineers in t shirts.

So one set of people is concerned with making good products that meet a client's needs while the other is concerned with moving numbers around on paper to pretend they are producing something of value. You can get rid of one of these groups of people and still have a successful profitable company. Guess which one?

More money doesn't mean smarter.

That would imply that everyone wants to work less. Smart people should do what they love because they can. Many will do it for 60 hours a week because they want to.

On behalf of feminists everywhere I'd like to apologize for offending your male centric worldview.

This happens just as often from the other side. Decision makers like to make decisions and they will do so regardless of how well they understand the problem. Instead they bring vague contradictory language to the engineers and expect them to sort out what the business ACTUALLY needs to make the decision maker look good. Managers are good at communicating their successes and often little else.

Is it really immature to wear a t shirt or is it more immature to let someone tell you how to dress? If someone can't decide what to wear, I certainly don't want them making important decisions about business.

It would also imply the US is in control of its economy. The fed is in control of the American economy and would never do something so self destructive.

That's pretty absurd. There is very little in common between software development and company development. You seem to postulate that company building is a more advanced form of development that software development grows into naturally. That's a pretty ridiculous assertion.