We: Look these concerns about harassment!

You: That's not so important, no one gets harassed here

We: look here, and here. This stuff.

You: Nah that doesn't happen to us, can't reproduce.

We: We really don't like that this happens, and we've put a lot of emotional labour into this project, we want to make it work!

You: Did you add code? No? Fork it! Bye Felicia!

We: OK! We're Forking it!

You: OMG FORKING IS SO FUCKING HOSTILE HOW DARE YOU!?

If Forking is Hostile, The Act of Telling someone to #ForkOff is equally hostile.

So. You know.

Gargamel asked us to #ForkOff, and here we are.

And if anyone needs receipts:

https://mastodon.social/@Gargron/100137040814277612

I struggled a lot with if I should in any way lead a charge for a fork, for governance.

I had just not had my contract renewed. It would seem petty and disruptive if I encouraged a fork.

So I bit my tongue, for the past 3 weeks.

I didn't want to rock the boat, I didn't want to be antagonistic. I didn't want to be "that person".

Eugen could manage this himself, he said so, I was willing to give him a chance.

@maloki The word "governance" is key. Forking the software would be pointless without establishing the social infrastructure first. And that means all the boring-but-essential stuff: bylaws, a code of conduct, how to handle RFCs, something like a Board of Directors, etc. Otherwise, it's just Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V.

@bstacey @maloki Exactly this. It's hard to take "go and fork it" responses to any disagreement as good faith. People who say that aren't saying it because they sincerely think that it will lead to success. They're saying it to make you go away.

@abbenm @bstacey @maloki I haven't seen any, but I accept there may people who say "fork it" and mean "shut up". But I wonder if these is a cultural misunderstanding here? Since the popularization of #Git, forking has become normalized in #PeerProduction. It's seen as a way to take energy that is at risk of being wasted on butting heads, and redirect it into increasing diversity in our software. When we fork, we create proofs-of-concept, rather than argue in circles.

@abbenm @bstacey @maloki
if respectful persuasion fails, the available options are a) try to force a founder/ "benevolent dictator" to make changes they don't want to make, and b) get together everyone that wants those changes, and create a new project with those changes. Given those choices, b) actually seems like the much less hostile option, and the one most likely to succeed, and least likely to fester and stress out everyone involved

@strypey @abbenm @bstacey Yes, but this is very hard to do when you're immediately met with "forking is hostile actions" when you try to arrange it.

I've had a lot of shit to deal with since I started to see if there was a community for this.

@maloki @abbenm @bstacey ok, that's weird. Is it the same people though? Or is that maybe coming from folks on other side of the cultural divide I'm positing?

@strypey Honestly, it doesn't really matter, because you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't.

Techbros: Fork it!

We: Okay!

Techbros: No Don't Do That!

We:

@maloki Is it though? Or is it ...

Folks who understand the value of forking: Fork it!

You: Okay!

Folks who think forking is equivalent to splitting a political party into two smaller, and therefore less effective parties: No Don't Do That!

You: but it's the best way to reduce toxic conflict and get *everyone's* needs met.

@maloki what I'm trying to say is stick to your guns! You are doing a good and useful thing for the (meta-)community! What you are experiencing (and probably already knew) is that taking on a leadership role means taking shit for everything you do and don't do, and being constantly second-guessed. Leadership is doing what you think is right, even when everyone thinks it's wrong, and trusting your own judgement.