(a) He is qualified to speak about these issues in so far as he is the designer of node.js and is a programmer.
(b) Rob Pike's comments are a "big deal" because Rob Pike is one of the "original neckbeards" that worked on Unix, Plan 9, and has recently been developing the Go language at Google. i.e. He helped developed the OS that Ryan is complaining about.
(c) "right or wrong" depends heavily on what you are trying to accomplish. Much like anything in the real world, there is no right or wrong answer.
'Rob Pike is one of the "original neckbeards" that worked on Unix'
Do you know that 'neckbeard' is a slur? It refers to someone who tries to grow a beard but can only grow hair on below their jawline, which is typical of adolescents.
FWIW, Rob has never had a beard. Ken, dmr, and bwk all have/had full beards, not neckbeards.
I am kind of surprised to find myself writing this post, but here I am.
I think "neckbeard" may have gotten confused with "greybeard," which is used to refer to the elders of ages since past, whom have bestowed upon us mortals the eternally fecund gifts of unix, posix, C, etc.
(b) Rob Pike's comments are a "big deal" because Rob Pike is one of the "original neckbeards" that worked on Unix, Plan 9, and has recently been developing the Go language at Google. i.e. He helped developed the OS that Ryan is complaining about.
(c) "right or wrong" depends heavily on what you are trying to accomplish. Much like anything in the real world, there is no right or wrong answer.