Warning: this is a flame. It's quite a long time since I've been
quite so angry and upset at something someone has mailed me.
Alan Eugene Davis writes ("My complaints"):
...
> What happened to me with dselect _really happened_.
What almost certainly happened to you was that you pressed `-' on the
line marked `All packages', asking to remove every package on your
system. You then confirmed this (hitting Return on the selection
screen), went to [R]emove, and failed to stop it in time.
I would like to say at this point - before I get into frying your
gonads - that I have recently found time to make the descriptive
strings and status flags in deselect clearer, so that it is harder for
people to think that pressing `-' on an installed package means to do
nothing to it. Not that I'm expecting thanks from _you_.
> Should I go gentle, saying nothing? I felt it would be to
> everyone's advantage if you had feedback [...]
You should show some respect for me. If you want to give feedback you
should do so in a helpful and constructive manner. Your original
message was not helpful or constructive, and your most recent one was
arrogant in the extreme.
> It was a significantly stressful experience---one of the
> more stressful I have ever had with Linux, and I have been taking alot
> of chances over the year and a half since I began with Slackware.
SWITCH SARCASM
My heart bleeds for you.
SWITCH NOSARCASM
I did initially have some sympathy for you, but what remained after
reading all of your very unfriendly first message has evaporated in
the face of your many arrogant, demanding and downright rude messages.
> [...] must [...] must [...]
If you don't like my program write your own or be polite. Furthermore
your message betrays a lack of understanding of the details of what's
going on. (I don't have time to explain this to you in detail.)
> I don't really appreciate that virtually everytime I have posted, in
> good faith (if possibly in a moment's ire), a notice of some negative
> experience, I have gotten back messages stating what I did wrong.
Perhaps you have a habit of sending irate messages to people who are
doing volunteer work for you. If so then you can only expect to be
flamed.
> This is not the point: I have not intended to be overly accusatory,
That is not how your messages came across.
> [...] Most of the time I have solved the problems, but
> others might not have as high a tolerance.
Most of the time I put up with people being rude to me when I'm doing
them a favour, but it seems that not everyone has as high a tolerance.
You have now exceeded mine.
> [...] And keep it open; if it looks like Debian is setting up an
> authority-centered system, I won't stay around. I have not place
> making them, but I offer the following suggestions nevertheless:
I don't know where you get this `authority-centred' idea from.
Debian, like much of the Linux community, is *code* centred. If and
when I see *your* contribution to *my* life rather than just see you
being unpleasant about what others have laboured on for your benefit I
_might_ be prepared to reply to messages such as yours rather than
just filing them.
And - you just used another imperative. Clue: WE DO NOT OWE YOU
ANYTHING. YOU OWE US - and I'm being very gracious, I think, in
asking in return for the work of myself and many others only that you
be polite to us.
> 1. Include informative documentation with everything. In the
> *nix world I have been impressed by the ubiquity of
> documentation. I am not exaggerating to say that Debian
> has had the poorest record.
We do not have to take this criticism from you. Put up or shut up -
if you're unhappy with the documentation then learn about the system
and write it. If this doesn't appeal to you then you'll just have to
wait until we have time, in amongst day jobs, leading lives, writing
software and flaming people like you, to write some for you.
> [ other suggestions ]
What I see in you is an arrogant, rude person who is all too willing
to take others' volunteer work and be highly critical and ready with
"must"s and "if you don't do it like this I'll go away"s.
Quite frankly, I don't give a damn if you go away. If that's your
attitude I'd rather not have you as a user.
Alternatively, perhaps you'd like to join the project and try being a
developer for a change, in which case you'll have the opportunity to
remedy many of the problems you observe, and more standing to be
critical about the others.
Mr Davis, the next message I see from you should contain either an
apology or (the announcement of) your contribution of code or
documentation to the Debian Project. I do not want to hear any more
suggestions, criticisms, defences of your attitude &c from you. If
you persist I'll killfile you.
Yours in anger,
Ian Jackson.
(I'm speaking personally, here; please don't take any of this as
anything official to do with the project.)
