While Winer certainly deserves respect for all he's done, that Twitter squabble with Arrington et al. certainly didn't help his public image. Arrington has a well-established reputation as a master troll, and it was rather sad to see Winer take Arrington's bait hook, line, and sinker.
<i>His near-absolute disinterest in visual design, his chronically caustic personality and his apparently principle-driven burning of bridges haven't helped either.</i><p>Ouch.