Quoting The Fungi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
Further, Debian embraces freedom above all else, and one of the commonly-recognized freedoms observed is the freedom to speak one's mind; thus potentially abrasive conversation becomes not only possible, but somewhat protected (if productive and on-topic, at least).
Yes, but what of the freedom of the person who does not wish to be spoken to abrasively? Are they "free to leave"? That is not freedom either. This is most likely an argument that will never be resolved, so lets not go along in this direction.
Interestingly, it has been tradition within the computing community that direct, forward, even harsh communication is often more effective when it comes to getting things accomplished quickly (though opinions certainly exist to the contrary as well), not to mention it's an all-too-typical personality trait that computer enthusuasts tend to lack some of the more common social graces (I include myself in this stereotype).
There is a difference between harsh criticism which has a constructive result and derisiveness.
You don't give a toddler a steak, you give him something he can swallow. Taking a look at all of the abandoned packages there are a lot of developers needed here. I believe a lot of people like me would assist if they could get a little more direction instead of derisiveness.
And the best place to find this is on the debian-mentors list, where first-time package maintainers are expected. The debian-devel list
I have been there before, they were not overly helpful then. The responses I received were more along the lines of go read the documentation and make the package.
-- "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Albert Einstein
