[OSM-talk] Harming the community

[Serge Wroclawski]

It seems every six months or so, a new set of license troll
"discussions" come up.

It's the same people. I can name names if necessary, but I think the
old timers mostly know who the trolls are by now.

They suck energy from the lists, they suck energy from the projects.
They criticize the process, they say moving forward is "harming the
community". They bitch, they moan, they are "helpful", they throw up
procedural roadblocks.

And they get old timers involved, and newbies confused/scared, and I'm
sick of it.


OSMF- stop being wimps and start standing up for the project. Stop
hiding behind procedure, and start working toward cohesion and
momentum. Free discussion is important, but allowing a community to do
its work is also important, and when the same trolls infect the lists
over and over, it's time to say no, and to confront their nonsense
with clear facts, clear communication, and clear action.

I suggest that, for the immediate situation, a few things happen:

1. The LWG appoint a single person to speak for the LWG/OSMF on this
matter. That one person can make definitive statements, and not be
stiffled with committee talk.

2. The LWG put out clear guidelines on what's happening, when, and
how. What data will be removed, how we can identify it, when it's
going away, and how we can fix it.

3. The list moderators need to step up and do their jobs. This
nonsense is disruptive and it needs to end. Discussion is fine, but
inflammatory language and lies are not.


I'm feeling quite frustrated. I care about this project and I'm
needing to be able to be productive, and this stuff seriously detracts
from being able to accomplish that.

- Serge