For the lulz

Recently one of our developers decided he would raise hell in one of our irc channels. “For the lulz” he said. What ensued was a rather large number of kicks which ended in a ban. I contacted him and tried to talk to him. He wouldn’t agree at first, then stopped answering, and went on in another channel. I spent a good amount of time trying to reason him at around midnight my local time knowing I had an early meeting at the office the day after. He stopped and apologized a few seconds before I hit the button to suspend him.

He didn’t have any really bad intentions but he still created a shitstorm. In his mind everybody overreacted but there was one thing that he didn’t understand. Him behaving like this made a few people unhappy. Whether they were right or wrong to be unhappy, they were, and they showed it. In return they started filling some of your fellow devs’ maiboxes, and irc queries started popping faster than it is humanly possible to answer. In short after a few minutes some of us had their screen blinking like Christmas trees.

So, kids: don’t make an ass of yourselves in public, whether on irc or elsewhere. And if you absolutely have to do so don’t do it in a #gentoo- channel, and preferably not with your gentoo irc cloak. If you don’t do it for yourself do it out of respect for those whose task it is to try and maintain a semblance of peace on irc or on our mailing-lists. And think of all those traces you’re leaving behind for the next time you’ll look for a job. Think also of the image you’re projecting for the whole Gentoo community. You’re a developer, so if you care show yourself and your distro in good light.

And remember that we’re a large project with all kinds of different cultures. Something that may seem totally insignificant and/or funny to you may (and will probably) be seen as abrasive by others. We have to operate on a lowest common denominator. That’s unfortunate but there’s no way around it.

Thanks for your attention.

4 thoughts on “For the lulz”

  1. > Him behaving like this made a few people unhappy. Whether they were right or wrong to be unhappy, they were, and they showed it.

    Without implying anything about the merits of this particular case, I find that attitude a bit disturbing. It basically says that complainers are allowed to bully people into not doing or saying anything that said complainers disagree with. Lots of things can “make a few people unhappy”, especially if they feel like causing trouble – writing a new package manager, cooperating with other distributions, you name it. If someone isn’t doing anything objectively wrong but other people make a fuss about it anyway, it’s those people’s problem, and if they’re disrupting everyone else then they’re the ones who should be talked to.

  2. > It basically says that complainers are allowed to bully people into not doing or saying anything that said complainers disagree with.

    Welcome to the real world. It’s a bit of a rough ride but it’s a lot of fun.

    Denis.

  3. A world, real or otherwise, where punishing innocent people is considered an acceptable way to resolve a problem doesn’t sound like “a lot of fun” to me. Your argument is essentially the same as “black people aren’t allowed to go out in public, because I don’t want to clean up the blood the skinheads will leave if they do” – the principle is the same, only the magnitude is different.

    Y’know, I had thought that you were being more reasonable lately. Thanks for showing me the light.

  4. That’s pretty much retarded tbfh.
    Did he swear? No.
    Did he say anything anti-Semite? No.
    ..and the really bad list can go on.
    But he just said “..lulz” and people practically crucified him for it, what the hell is wrong with you?
    “Why so serious?” loosen up for crying out loud.

    Stupid, lulz.

    p.s. yeah i know it was an “official gentoo channel/member/whatever” but it’s STILL retarded.

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