Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson [LWN.net]

Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson

Posted Nov 19, 2014 20:25 UTC (Wed) by HelloWorld (guest, #56129)
In reply to: Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson by timtas
Parent article: Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson

My comments were not disrespectful but an accurate depiction of what happened. And you know what? I actually find Jon's behaviour inappropriate. Trolls like mgb get to spread their hatespeech all over the place while people who'd like to criticise one of the primarly culprits of all this mudslinging are muzzled (and let's face it, he clearly was, otherwise there'd be no need for Jon's request in the first place!). Because that's how you encourage the right kind of behaviour.

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Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson

Posted Nov 19, 2014 20:36 UTC (Wed) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] (3 responses)

FWIW I have asked mgb to tone it down before as well.

The thing that you miss is that there's a time and a place for things. This particular occasion is neither. It doesn't seem all that hard to figure that out, but I guess some people need help.

Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson

Posted Nov 19, 2014 20:47 UTC (Wed) by SEJeff (guest, #51588) [Link]

And Jon, we thank you for your gentler style, which results in (overall) LWN from not devulging into another HN or /.

Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson

Posted Nov 19, 2014 20:57 UTC (Wed) by HelloWorld (guest, #56129) [Link] (1 responses)

> The thing that you miss is that there's a time and a place for things.
I didn't miss that, I'm just afraid we disagree on what this is the time for. The week that several accomplished project members resigned in due to his actions is most certainly *not* the week we should thank him for his work on dpkg.

Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson

Posted Nov 19, 2014 21:22 UTC (Wed) by jspaleta (subscriber, #50639) [Link]

Then don't thank him. Noone has requested that you thank him. Be silent.
Just let him go quietly. Please just let him go. If it irks you that other people are thanking him...just grit your teeth and let it happen and just let him go.

Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson

Posted Nov 19, 2014 23:19 UTC (Wed) by timtas (guest, #2815) [Link] (4 responses)

Well, I have learnt early in school to stop kicking when somebody lies on the floor. Ian Jackson has been with Debian for 16 years, was project leader, wrote dpkg and has therefore the right of a decent leaving of Debian. To now dig deep and pull out the most ranting emails he has written clearly is totally disrespectful to him.

Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson

Posted Nov 21, 2014 21:55 UTC (Fri) by HelloWorld (guest, #56129) [Link] (3 responses)

Well, I have learnt something at school too: to take responsibility for my actions. I thus stand by my opinion: when you behave like a dick, you have to be prepared to take the blame for it. The people whom you should be sorry for are Russ, Colin, Joey and Tollef who couldn't take it any more, and while Ian certainly isn't the only one to blame for that, he certainly was part of the problem. In a situation like this it should be made clear that this behaviour is intolerable. Instead Jon asks us for leniency for Ian, and when Lennart dares to actually complain about the abuse he suffered, Jon writes an article ("on the sickness of our community") that basically denies the problem and blames the victim, perhaps to avoid fouling his own nest. I'm sorry, but that just doesn't seem right to me.

Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson

Posted Nov 22, 2014 1:55 UTC (Sat) by itvirta (guest, #49997) [Link]

There are some things I learned at school, most of them technical in nature.

There are also things I've learned, that were not taught at school.
Things I had to learn outside of it, in the real world, with real people.

One of those was to learn at least some ways to take other people's
feelings into account; and, especially, when to recognise that saying
something will not do any good, and it would be better to just keep my
mouth shut.

I would recommend everyone to at least try to take these things into
account.

For what it's worth (probably not much), I think our valued editor has
done his best to ask for leniency towards _all_, not just any single
person or persons. I can't say I agree with him on every single
occasion, but I cannot do anything but hold that principle in high regard.

I'm sorry to say this, but I do not think the editor is the only party
around here to say something that does not seem right.

Today's Debian technical committee resignation: Ian Jackson

Posted Nov 22, 2014 15:44 UTC (Sat) by Zack (guest, #37335) [Link] (1 responses)

"To take responsibility for my actions," he wrote on the Internet, anonymously. He tried to fan the dying embers. Soon the cold would return, and with it the dampness. It was lonely at the waterfront, but at least it provided shelter.

flaming poetry

Posted Nov 29, 2014 13:40 UTC (Sat) by DonDiego (guest, #24141) [Link]

You know what? That was a strikingly beautiful piece of lyrical prose. You just made my day. I think I'll stick a modified version of this on my wall somewhere. Thank you.