2026-10-15 14:58 UTC
A thing I said a lot in that first few years is: we are competing on the experience and ergonomics of being a part of this community. Every single person out there who is smart enough to turn the crank on a compiler and figure out how to send us a patch has thousands of options. The process complexity and hard-knock oldschool open source "culture" we believe is acting as a "filter" isn't selecting for brains or talent, it's selecting for a willingness to tolerate bullshit and endure abuse.
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@mhoye@cosocial.ca 2026-10-15 15:06
And to be explicit about this: a long-running filter that's selecting for a willingness to tolerate bullshit and endure abuse is exceedingly useful if you're a terrible manager or a sex pest, two classes of people who have notably flourished in free software for a very long time. But when smart people have choices, and they choose not to tolerate mismanagement and abuse and stop choosing you, either you grow up or soon all you have are people who think abuse and mismanagement are normal.