I work with a ton of paycheck programmers who could all write functions to find prime numbers or reverse strings. The secret is enthusiasm, passion and focus on quality. Yes, some people are "frauds", but we're all frauds. Software is a huge confidence game, where we get paid to do something we're not even sure is possible until we're finished. Most of the time it works. When it doesn't, it's almost never because someone sorted an array wrong.

"Simply put (in deference to you), a policy of moderation actually works much better than a simple strict policy of exclusion. The only people who think a straight mechanism of exclusion is valid are those who feel the desire to shape the course of the discussion, rather than accept that there might be some validity in the opinions of others." Yeah, sure unless you're a real human being and not an internet punching bag who wants to fritter his life away policing internet morons trying to shout him down on his own blog. With one click of a checkbox he's shaved a dozen (unpaid) hours off of his workweek. Want to present a differing opinion? Get your own blog and use it to express yourself. Crybaby.