Open Source: you're doing it wrong - the Pyjamas hijack

[Martin P. Hellwig]

On 09/05/2012 12:02, anthony at xtfx.me wrote:
<cut all>

Hello C Anthony,

I am an pyjs user and introduced the project as one of the fundamental 
parts of a new application that is now core of a company of a reasonable 
size (30+), customers include several companies in the top 10 of largest 
IT infrastructures, I can mail you a list in private if you wish so.

I agree that the project leadership had certainly room for improvement.
I also agree that to move forward there had to be made some choices.

However, as the person introducing this project in a commercial venture, 
I am also the one having the responsibility of it in my setting.

I have been put in a position where I have to come up with answers, like 
why the examples page didn't work, why the project seems fragile and if 
there is any viability at all.

Of course, I still believe in the project, with all it warts and so 
forth. However my position has been made needlessly difficult, because 
the action you took did not leave room for choice.

Let me explain this, if you had forked the project, created a new 
domain, mailing list and, took over the majority of the devs, I would be 
able to make a choice if I go with the new guys or stick with the couple 
of old ones, just like the xorg fork.

If your argument is that this was your intention but was persuaded to do 
other wise, I would say that is a lapse of judgement and not a very good 
restart of the project.

Unfortunately mistakes made in public, even if arguably they are not 
mistakes at all, are not easy forgotten and can end up haunting you.

I hope you will take these comments with you as a lesson learned, I do 
wish you all the best and look forward to the improvements you are going 
to contribute.

-- 
Martin P. Hellwig (mph)