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Jeff Chandler

Bad Behavior In The WordPress Community

It started off with a link and turned into something disgusting. KevinJohn Gallagher explained the various reasons for why his company decided not to pursue using WordPress anymore for their clients and I linked to that article because I thought it raised some points that were good for discussion. After I linked to the article on WPTavern as well as Twitter, his article made the front page of HackerNews. ReadWrite/Web also linked to the article with their own thoughts. One of the reactions to his article that I witnessed was that a lot of people agreed with Kevin and the points he made. However, a number of people disagreed with him and in fact, disagreed so passionately that KevinJohn stated within the comments of my article that he had received death threats as well as had DDoS attacks performed to his website.

Sadly in the last 7 days I’ve had 3 ddos attacks, 14 threats (4 “credible”) against myself or my family, multiple requests to have me removed from speaking at WordPress events to which I’m already signed up and personally sponsor, and 31 people roll-back their purchase for Open Source Scotland because I’m involved. All because my staff, not me, but the good folks I work with every day, don’t want want to use WordPress anymore. I’m being punished by this community, for doing the right thing: listening to my colleagues and my clients.

On the one hand, this is ridiculous behaviour. There is no reason what so ever to give someone death threats because their company has decided not to use WordPress anymore. Mark Jaquith was strongly opposed to the harassment Kevin was receiving and even Jane Wells offered to help out KevinJohn.

On the other hand, crazy people exist within the realm of reality and they can not be controlled. Most of the conversation that occurred as the result of Kevin’s article were from sane individuals that make up the WordPress community. It’s unfortunate what Keven had to go through because of that post but I strongly disagree that it’s a reflection of how the actual WordPress community is like. There are pricks and jerks within the WordPress community, no doubt about that. But, in my experience the nicer people far outweigh the jerks.

I’m a big fan of WordPress but I’m not going to cry myself to sleep if someone tells me they are ditching the software for something else. It’s common sense to use the best tool for the job instead of forcing a square peg into a round hole. It’s important to listen to the reasons why people switch from WordPress or desert the software but it’s not something anyone should lose sleep over. It’s definitely not worth threatening someone’s life. It’s an opportunity to learn and figure out how the software can be improved. This is the type of attitude we should have towards folks like KevinJohn Gallagher or others that publish their discontent for WordPress. We shouldn’t be slapping people around with an elitist, cult like hand that twitches every time someone criticizes the software. We are better than that. Let’s prove it.

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49 responses to “Bad Behavior In The WordPress Community”

  1. “We shouldn’t be slapping people around with an elitist, cult like hand that twitches every time someone criticizes the software. We are better than that. Let’s prove it.”

    Unfortunately, to some, WordPress has gone from a tool to a lifestyle choice. In life you learn more lessons through your critics than simply staying within an echo-chamber of self-confirming messages. I’ve seen this same behavior in the Apple versus Android community.

    We need critics to make us better. Look at how both Drupal and Joomla have heard user complaints about management and borrowed from WordPress. You don’t get such improvements by covering your ears.

    After all, this isn’t a race; WordPress is fully funded and well supported. The goal is to improve users’ lives, not hoist up a piece of software as “the best” — no questions asked, or allowed.

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  2. KevinJohn certainly has a right to his opinion. I think that WordPress, and the community associated with it, are top-notch. There are a few trolls/crazy people in every crowd.

    I think that people are a little taken aback whenever someone blanket rejects a tool that they find so useful. I do personally find the idea that “I don’t want to use tool X anymore” a little too absolute. There are times and places for WordPress, as there are times and places for ColdFusion, or Drupal, or any other good language or platform.

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  4. Unfortunately, this happens in a lot of different niche and communities. Open Source and anime are one of the worst I have seen in the past decade, and I am in both. And have been on the same end as Kevin John in the anime community… even to where my son and I were approached in my front lawn on my home.

    We cannot control other people, but it certainly is a disappointment to see people react like that just because of someone’s choice. It is not the first time someone in the WordPress community has had an incident like this.

    I have written articles about flamers and harassers in the past on my site, and my heart goes out to Kevin John. You do what you have to, but know that the people in the WordPress community do not support such despicable behavior.

    I agree with you that the nicer people outweigh the jerks. I meet so many people at the WordCamps that are great. In this incident… just people with nothing better to do.

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  6. Thats absolutely awful. I am often quite evangelical about WordPress, I love it and so do many of my clients, though I know not everyone experiences the world in the same way I do, and I also know that there is no panacea when it comes to creating an online solution, WordPress often checks many of the boxes and is incredibly flexible, its not always going to be the right fit.

    As ed said above we’re better than that, and I think on the whole the community is better than that, its really a shame that our community could be marked by such poor behavior.

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  7. Sad. How else can the community grow and WordPress excel if there isn’t criticism and people pointing out what doesn’t work (for them, or in general!)? If we all hail WordPress as it is 100% of the time how will it ever evolve and improve?

    The immaturity of some members of what is really an awesome community makes me really sad. Hopefully this will not cause people to fear speaking out on anything that they disagree with within the community or about WordPress itself.

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  8. Here here. I agree that the WordPress community for the most part are decent, genuine and intelligent. Open thinking fosters innovation, so we should be welcoming Kevin’s opinions on the shortcomings of WordPress so that we can better it and continue to go from strength to strength.

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  9. Kevin is spot on. We are recent adopters of WP and more and more see where it is lacking when it should not. 15 plugins on top of the 15 we are already running does not sound encouraging. Time to roll up those sleeves and do some major core improvements.

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  11. Great Jeff. This is what I want from the community leaders (Yes Jeff your one of them ;).
    Not that I agree with talking about Jane in the same context as Mark. There was no doubt as to how Mark felt about the issue. He was clear cut he even tweeted. Jane said the DDoS attacks were “lame” then wanted to see emails. Not even a tweet. But retweeting missunderstanding of KJGs standpoint was perfectly fine. She was not alone in this.
    Micheal Schinkel was one of the more known ones that actually agreed with KJG critique (if I remember correctly from the RWW comments) and argued against people using ad hominems attacks etc.

    Also great that more people speak out against the behavior in the comments. We need more people taking a stand against bullies etc.
    For the WP community to be open and grow in a healthy was those that don’t agree with everything WP must also be welcomed and not shunned. Arguments and not people is what is of interest. Its what people say not the people or how they say that should be ground for the debates.

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  12. People on the internet can be so cruel, feeling big and bad hiding behind a computer screen. It’s like they don’t see that there is an actual flesh & blood human behind the words on the screen. It’s very sad. Sadder still is the fact that these people are supposedly mature adults.

    I personally love WP and have a minor heart attack each time someone says the prefer Blogger or host with GoDaddy. But that’s just me. It won’t make me lob insults and death threats at anyone.

    Just remember, you can’t fix stupid.

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  13. @Andreas Nurbo – I’m not sure it matters all that much what stance Jane takes. Even if Kevinjohn were to send her all the evidence, what could she actually do about it? Prescribe anti-psychotic drugs for the crazy people? Ban them from using wordpress ever again? He’s better off forwarding the threats to law enforcement and adding them to his list of reasons to keep away from wordpress.

    Every fandom has its batshit insane contingent, and while Matt has occasionally been guilty of mobilising them to serve his own ends it’s in the nature of the batshit insane that they’re extremely difficult to control, even by those they profess to worship. Indeed, it’s not at all unusual for them to unleash the worst of their ire on the creators of the fandom, so I can see why Automattic might not want to come out too strongly against them.

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  14. @that girl again – I have not said anything about control the people. I am mostly talking about perception. What is tolerated and accepted and what is not. The people do it in the name of WordPress both the good and the bad.
    Even if you can’t do anything about it you still say things. Show support etc. When people die you say sorry for your loss. You can’t do anything about the loss but you can show compassion. There are numerous examples like that that we all practice regardless of culture.
    I think its great the members of the community condemn the actions but I find it strange that the leaders does not take a firm stand against it. They find time to ridicule the post that started it all, argue against the points the post made. But to condemn the over the top negative reactions on the top that is asking to much? I call bullshit on that.

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  16. I like WordPress. I currently own or administer for clients almost a dozen WordPress sites.

    I do not, however, love WordPress the way I love my dog or my girlfriend or my family. A threat against WordPress is not a threat against me. A rejection of WordPress is not a rejection of me. I find it quite incomprehensible that someone would hear that a person or a company has chosen not to use WordPress, and would respond with death threats or other abusive behavior. When did a collection of PHP code become a religion?

    I own or administer about a dozen WordPress sites. I also own or administer about a half-dozen sites built around MODx, several sites that are entirely hand-coded HTML, and a bunch of sites that use custom PHP back-ends that I wrote. WordPress is a tool, no different from a hammer or a backhoe or a debugger. The notion that someone would make “I use WordPress” such a part of their self-identity that they would react negatively to someone else saying “You know, I’m familiar with WordPress, and it doesn’t fit with what I’m doing” boggles my mind, and reflects poorly, I think, on the WordPress community. WordPress users really do need to do better than that, I think.

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  17. the thing is: death threats are illegal. you write: “On the other hand, crazy people exist within the realm of reality and they can not be controlled.” well — society does its best to find and deal with perpetrators. the “target” in this situation would do well to begin recording emails, phone calls, messages, etc. the perpetrators have already violated the law and it might take the law some time to find them — but once they are found (should KevinJohn G take appropriate action and press charges), then they will be exposed. if they can already be exposed (or have been), then we have a social obligation to ensure that the perpetrators are appropriately fined or jailed in accordance with existing laws.

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  18. @Andreas Nurbo – Thanks for the ack.

    In general, this whole situation makes me feel like I’ve been punched in the gut and it makes me wonder what my clients are going to ask me about their use of or support of WordPress.

    And I’m not even KevinJohn; I can’t even imagine what he has been going through lately. All because he voiced his (IMO totally reasonable) opinion.

    Just completely inappropriate. Ugh.

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  20. I simply love Word Press, well actually “in love with Word Press.” With that love, yes I have hated it, deeply. In two years I had almost 100 sites infected with malware and kill my servers. You don’t know what you don’t know. Lesson learned, pay attention. Keep your sites updated, plugins to a minimum. All clients on their own servers now. Use sucuri.net to keep malware under control. You still can’t control clients who do not keep their sites updated. Simple updating keeps takes care of this problem.

    I have been on almost every real estate platform with our designs. I got so fed up that we created our own cms. That was horrible. Then we rediscovered Word Press. Ah, where have you been my love.

    So unless you have been around for a few years before we had sites that clients could own and manage, it’s hard to describe how Word Press has changed my life.

    It’s the wild west out here with lots of cow pokes enjoying the ride. Doesn’t mean you won’t get bit or bucked off a time or too. Just get back up on this Thoroughbred and know that she will win the race. Word Press is wonderful.

    Cherie

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  21. @Terry Pearson –
    Couldn’t agree more with you Terry. WordPress is on of the tools of our trade; sometimes another platform may do something better, or a client will want a particular system.
    If we are to consider ourselves professionals in the web industry, it is up to us to adapt to our customers wants, even learn new systems if required. At the end of the day, our clients pay our wages, they call the tune…
    Attacking someone because they decided to use another platform, or because their client insisted is ridiculous… That is tantamount to saying “I am not going to use WordPress because of bad behavior in the WordPress Community”, or “I won’t use Drupal because the community is not as friendly as WordPress”.
    The people who attacked KevinJohn Gallagher are small minded petty individuals, and judging from the quoted remark made by KevinJohn at least some of them are criminals!
    I will continue using WordPress, Drupal and any other platform required of me!

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  22. I run WordPress training courses for beginners in London, and whilst the majority of attendees love WP by the end of the day’s session, a fair proportion don’t like it at all. Either they don’t find it intuitive, or flexible enough for their specific needs, or too difficult to use or maybe they just don’t like me.

    Whilst I feel disappointed that I haven’t managed to convert everyone into WordPress evangelists, I accept and respect their reaction to the software. I certainly don’t lose sleep over it. I prefer to concentrate on encouraging those who do ‘get it’ to create great sites.

    Some you win and some you lost. Cheer the winners!

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  23. Jeffro, the post author, says:

    On the other hand, crazy people exist within the realm of reality and they can not be controlled.

    [WordPress folks are better than that.] Let’s prove it.

    Although Jeffro’s statement is made ‘in all good faith’, there’s a couple serious problems with it.

    Why insult those with mental health issues? Internet-attacks & threats are not a matter of “crazy” (or “bad”, for that matter) behavior. These are offenses under the law, pure & simple. It’s law-breaking, and lawlessness. The euphemisms are both inappropriate, and counterproductive.

    Digital lawlessness can’t be controlled? If we don’t act in credible ways, the Federal government (in cooperation with Hollywood, RIAA, Christopher Dodd & co.) will act instead, in far more heavy-hand ways. We have no end of creativity & energy, for new & exciting projects … but can’t be bothered to take out the garbage? Can’t recognize that the noxious smell arises from not wiping our own ass?

    To all those who see this event as an isolated WordPress problem/incident, who see law breakers in our midst as beyond our reach & ken, who celebrate & cheer Anonymous, who think the Internet & Open Source will simply march into the mist-shrouded horizons forever impervious to all the forces & interests (always vanquishing the POPA/PIPAs) that are made buggy-whips by the rise of the Web and all the citizen-empowerment that it promises … you are the ones who should be examined for mental health issues.

    Do we think that we should be trusted to define, design & build a New & Better Society? Then we damn well better be ready, willing and able to prove it.

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  24. Ted makes a good point. There is an overall lowering of standards online. Just look at the number of times Twitter has been used to send people death threats simply because someone takes a public stance where someone, somewhere disagrees? We can’t do much to correct the global problem, but we can at least make WordPress discussions a ‘safe zone’ for alternate opinion. I hope that such sane and rational discussion gets as much attention as the anger, but I’m doubtful.

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  25. Am I the only one that is skeptical about the death threats and the ddos attacks? I stumbled upon this and the previous thread looking for some plugins, and I can’t help but get the feeling it’s bull. As a casual but long time wordpress user, I can’t fathom people getting that worked up about it, and the only evidence offered is KevinJohn Gallagher’s word. My suspicion is the real issue is the impacts to his business which are an entirely reasonable reaction – who would want someone to speak at an event for something they openly trashed? The rest just is link bait.

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  26. Ermm….. I’m not sure what to say…… Very sad to hear!

    However you want to look at this, morals, mental issues with some people, naturally angry people, people who feel that rejection of any kind hurts there very soul. The problem is constant and it is not just about WordPress, Twitter, the make of car you drive and what your favourite colour is.

    When I say constant, I refer to the fact that throughout any industry, many places of work, any walk of life there will always be those whom try to surpress another, whom try to assert dominance.

    Playground behaviour, do we (humanity as a whole, not individually) ever grow up.

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  28. @Tami -I first read through several of KevinJohn Gallagher’s posts on his own page, an eyebrow arching here, a pursing of the lips there. Then, I read slowly through his voluminous response on WPTavern, again with multiple flags on the play.

    KJG veers far off of any professional tone, at frequent intervals. This boy was skipping school, when they taught how to keep the Crayons within the lines. Personally, I can not only live with that kind of thing, but it’s really a breath of fresh air, compared to the sterile modulation & coy concealment of a “proper professional tone”.

    He comes off strongly to me as a can’t-help-himself, shoot-from-the-hip loose cannon, more than slightly hot-headed, and constantly at the mercy of his own emotions & passions. Seems like a great “mate”, really.

    But a “professional” leader, in a business-suit? Prolly not such a good match.

    I never did get the sense that he was actually “making stuff up”, tho it would be possible. Fer example, he got a ton of hits on his blog, just from all the publicity his theatrics generated. So … his website crashed. Ddos? Or Slash-Dotted?

    Anyone who gets death threats ought to be contacting law enforcement, and preparing to direct resources to assist in an actual investigation … as the responsible thing to do, in hopes of being able to intercede against a free-floating danger to the general community.

    Though KJG does seem to have issues, there weren’t any clear Baron von Munchhausen flags that I spotted. And I was keeping an eye peeled.

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  29. @Shan @ Last Shreds Of Sanity –

    Sadly not very much.. :-(

    But just let it be known there are decent people amongst us. I’ve seen someone broken down in the past gone out of my way to help them move a car, change a tyre. I’ve stopped at accidents where no emergency services are yet to help those hurt whilst ensuring the emergency services were notified.

    If people in this world, just for a few moments stopped and thought about the repercussions of their actions and then instead just did one nice thing a day, or a week….. Or a month…. Something small, then the world would be a much better place.

    We live in hope I guess!

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  31. @Tami – Read again what he posted. Openly trashed? Because his business changed their go to solution because it didn’t fit their needs anymore? You can also read readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2012/01/missing-the-point-of-wordpress.php and the comments there. And you’ll see there is not so open and cuddly ppl in the WP community as well. Then we have taunts on Twitter etc.

    @Ted Clayton – Professional tone? On a personal blog? You would probably have a brain fart if you read WPMUs professional comments.
    Skip the psycho mumbo jumbo plz.

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  32. @Andreas Nurbo –

    Taunts, nasty emails, etc. . . aren’t death threats or attacks. Frankly, he says nothing new, nothing that other people haven’t complained about or written off as to why wordpress doesn’t work for them. I think he’s stirred up a ton of controversy not over wordpress itself (as I said, his complaints are nothing new), but over his over reaction to the community and vague reports of being personally threatened.

    I’m coming into this late, but from what I’ve seen is KJG over-reacting and willfully inciting a flame war and then fanning the flames by claiming he’s personally been threatened and that the community and core team from WP are responsible. Most of the posts I’ve seen in response to his post are either refuting his assertions about wordpress or agreeing, – and later, apologetically agreeing that he’s being mercilessly attacked and its a shame “the community” would do that. But not the death threats or personal attacks. If there truly were “credible” death threats, he wouldn’t be posting, he’d be securing the safety of his family and not talking about it on the interwebs.

    I have met enough bullshitters to recognize one when I see one, and my bullshit alarm is blaring.

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  33. @Tami –

    I’m coming into this late…

    Your read of Mr. Gallagher is a lot more real & on-point than that of others in this thread, who have typically sought to use KevinJohn and his ‘performance’ to support their pre-existing bias that WordPress is alternately; a.) a pack of miserable basdards, or b.) a flock of refined angels. Most choose not to look straight at what the evidence says about KJG himself.

    Early on I pointed out KJG’s excesses, posing them as clearly being apparently just more of the same ol’ excess … to which he was taking such exception in those with whom he is so obviously mutually engaged in the basic (‘flame-on’) activity.

    He responded directly to my comments, excusing himself on the grounds that, ‘You know, that’s just how us Celtic peoples are’. Wild semi-barbarians, scions of William Wallace, deniers of Rome’s legions, and all that.

    He does appear to see himself as personafying this irrepressible spirit.

    He overlooks, though, that in fact my great-grandfather is “William Wallace”; that he came from a pack of Hugh and Berry families, and yes, even Gallaghers … and that the North American continent is in fact hopelessly infested with … unregulate, unwashed Celtic breed-lines like my own. :)

    KevinJohn Gallagher could be a fine man, in the measures that are most important to me & others, but he should consider trading in the suit & tie for better-fitting, rougher garb.

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  34. I love WordPress as much as any other passionate web developer, but… wow. This is simply a TOOL, people; it’s not like he’s decided to adopt a lifestyle of occult Nazism.

    I bet these same people who are whining and overreacting have switched IDE’s in their lifetime, or made some other kind of switch. Seriously, it’s just a way to do things.

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  35. @Ted Clayton –

    I take exception to that. I’m one of those ‘Celtic peoples’ and am neither semi-barbaric or wild. Although I’m pretty good in a fight — fighting Irish and all — I know when to tone it down or take a breath and think before I speak or type.

    Using one’s Celtic heritage as an excuse for bad behavior is not OK. I can be hot headed, especially after a few drinks, but it’s not how I live my daily life. GAH! This just annoys me so much!

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  36. @Shan @ Last Shreds Of Sanity –

    No, I’m totally with you, Shan. I don’t buy this line that Celtic people are just too full of pee & vinegar to abide by the standards of conduct that keep other humans human.

    Before this red-bearded, blond-mustached Celt was fully dry behind the ears, he was a qualified nuclear power plant operator on a submarine; around the world and under the ice cap … and home again, in one piece, mission accomplished.

    You can’t do those kinds of things, without being able to get a grip on yourself. Likewise, KevinJohn Gallagher’s ancestors & relatives have for centuries & millenia been some of the finest military men (and women) ever to strike terror in the heart of the enemy … yet they too learned to abide within the discipline that is necessary, to be able to best apply ourselves to important goals.

    Whether it’s beating the USSR and winning the Cold War, or organizing & leading Open Source Scotland. We have to be able to get a handle on the passion, if we are going to use it to do anything worth doing.

    That our passion and intensity prevents us from controlling & managing ourselves, is, as my dear & fierce Celtic mother will put it, “A crock.”

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  38. @Tami –
    “but over his over reaction to the community and vague reports of being personally threatened”
    Erhm, the things started before he wrote a comment on peoples reactions.

    “that the community and core team from WP are responsible. ”
    To my recollection he has not written this. Did you just made this up?

    “If there truly were “credible” death threats, ”
    What you are writing here is that. Its ok to threaten to kill people as long as you don’t really mean it. People actually write death threats that are not actually death threats. Does not mean that it is a ok and we should be fine with it. Personally I think we are too lenient when it comes to online behavior.

    Did you read the slanderous ReadWriteWeb post? Did you read the comments?
    This is what people say and think in the open, posting lies for all to see. I have no problem imagining what they say behind “closed doors”.

    Heck Ted Clayton go psychoanalysis on him for no apparent reason. That behavior is bullcrap. Now they are discussing celts and how KJG “missrepresents” “them” or something. All because of tongue in cheek remark by KJG. Not if what KJG thinks or writes is right or wrong and why but how it does it.

    Anyway my last comment on this subject. Until next time.

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  39. @Tami –

    I’m coming into this late, but from what I’ve seen is KJG over-reacting and willfully inciting a flame war and then fanning the flames by claiming he’s personally been threatened and that the community and core team from WP are responsible.

    FULLSTOP.

    All KevinJohn did was poost a blog post to his personal blog. Period. That’s it. End of story.

    He didn’t invite anything. The story gained traction primarily because WPTavern linked to it, and discussed it. In fact, KevinJohn didn’t even enable the comments on that blog post.

    Further: where did KevinJohn accuse the core team of involvement? As for the community: the response of the community is prima facie evidence of the community’s involvement.

    So, what are you arguing? Should KevinJohn not be allowed to post a blog post to his own, personal blog, lest he incite the apparently powder-keg sensibilities of the greater WordPress community? Seriously?

    And by the way: did you even read his blog post? (I ask that question, rhetorically, of 99% of the people who have flamed him over it; because IMHO the response is out of proportion to the point of extreme hyperbole with respect to what he actually wrote.)

    If anything, your apparent ignorance of the situation merely epitomizes the apparent ignorance of the vast majority of people who flamed KevinJohn in the first place.

    This assertion is not intended as a personal insult. You self-admittedly “came in late” to the situation. Take the time to consider what actually happened, and the actual order of events.

    I watched this fiasco blow up from the beginning. primarily via Twitter. The vast majority of people who first reacted to Jeff’s article/tweet reacted not to KevinJohn’s words, but to Jeff’s tweet, and his blog post article. KevinJohn still wasn’t involved, except for a couple of direct responses to Jeff on Twitter. The Twitter mob vilified and crucified KevinJohn without even bothering to read the blog post they were flaming.

    And THAT is exactly the sort of environment that would produce the totally unwarranted, personal attacks that KevinJohn described.

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  40. @Chip Bennett –

    The story gained traction primarily because WPTavern linked to it, and discussed it.

    No, WPTavern publishes plenty of posts, publicizes plenty of stories, which then go quietly into the long night, despite that WPTavern put them to the world. The WPTavern kiss does not make a great story from a trifle.

    KevinJohn Gallagher’s story is a great story … because KevinJohn Gallagher created a great story.

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  41. @Ted Clayton –

    No, WPTavern publishes plenty of posts, publicizes plenty of stories, which then go quietly into the long night, despite that WPTavern put them to the world. The WPTavern kiss does not make a great story from a trifle.

    Bottom line: if WPTavern had never linked/tweeted KevinJohn’s blog post, this blowup never would have happened. (That’s a credit to Jeff, by the way; the reaction to the story isn’t his fault.)

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  42. @Chip Bennett –

    The argument you pose makes WPTavern a proxy for “The Press”.

    ‘Well, if The Press didn’t bring all this stuff to The Public’s notice, why, they wouldn’t know of it, and they wouldn’t respond to it.’

    Actually, though, we decided, as a basic principle worth championing, that encouraging the spread of information was worth the enhanced attention to good stories, facilitated by an effective Press.

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  43. @Chip Bennett –

    And by the way: did you even read his blog post? (I ask that question, rhetorically, of 99% of the people who have flamed him over it; because IMHO the response is out of proportion to the point of extreme hyperbole with respect to what he actually wrote.)

    Yup.

    I also read his follow-up posts, as well as the comments he made on other forums. My admission of coming late to this wasn’t that of ignorance, but that I missed the initial unfolding of event and the emotional reaction that came along with that.

    So, what are you arguing?

    Since I wasn’t clear before I’ll spell it out. KevinJohn Galleghar comes off as a drama queen and I think he made up the more serious accusations of death threats and ddos attacks to garner sympathy after repeatedly engaging and insighting a flame war. This has very little to do with the initial post and everything to do with his subsequent reactions and posts which come off as inflammatory and a bit unhinged.

    His responses to @wptavern via twitter were immediately asshole-ish and condescending.

    I have no problem with what he wrote about wordpress or criticisms of it. It sparked an interesting and passionate discussion. In fact, I think most people involved agree with at least some of what he wrote. But KevinJohn continually eggs people on, and takes honest, constructive criticisms of his initial post as personal attacks, escalating the situation. And when not doing that specifically, he comes off as a know-it-all ass and then is surprised when people react poorly to his comments.

    He’s making claims of extreme attacks that there just isn’t evidence that they happened. I’m frankly saddened that wptavern even made this post without any kind of evidence of his assertions.

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  44. I think this thread here is a great example of what is wrong with the WP community.

    but he should consider trading in the suit & tie for better-fitting, rougher garb.

    But a “professional” leader, in a business-suit? Prolly not such a good match.

    What basis do we have to judge what clothes a man wears? Seriously, CLOTHING!

    I was about to link to this post to disagree with it, and then I read the comments here. Now I think he’s got a point:
    http://kevinjohngallagher.com/2012/01/listening-core-skill-learning/

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  45. @Thomas Frank –

    I love … a TOOL

    Indeed. And we obviously have stongly loved some of our tools, for eons. Some tools are just, or as you put it, “simply” tools. Lots of tools, though, carry much more than their objective attributes. Software tools have been especially-prominent examples of this, since the beginning.

    I bet these same people … have switched IDE’s

    Yes, but you see, KevinJohn Gallagher didn’t just switch. He laid out a detailed, itemized, organized criticism of WordPress. And published it to the world. He very much launched an attack.

    He did not just make a decision for himself. He set out to publicize his grievances with WordPress, as a “campaign” to influence others to adopt his opinion … and follow in his footsteps.

    Some of KJG’s assertions were highly debatable … and while we discourage excess, we readily become even more emotionally involved in our debates, than we do with our tools. ;)

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  47. @Ted Clayton –

    Yes, but you see, KevinJohn Gallagher didn’t just switch. He laid out a detailed, itemized, organized criticism of WordPress. And published it to the world. He very much launched an attack.

    He did not just make a decision for himself. He set out to publicize his grievances with WordPress, as a “campaign” to influence others to adopt his opinion … and follow in his footsteps.

    Some of KJG’s assertions were highly debatable … and while we discourage excess, we readily become even more emotionally involved in our debates, than we do with our tools. ;)

    Studies have shown that people who fixate negatively on the actions of others can improve their outlook and self-esteem by working to help others.

    Have you tried volunteering?

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  48. @Holly Rose –

    What basis do we have to judge what clothes a man wears? Seriously, CLOTHING!

    It’s a simile, Holly. A figure of speech. His cloths are fine. It’s like saying someone should get down off their high-horse. “But I’m not even on a horse!”

    A few wear Purple Robes very well. Most of us never will. Some of us work to very good effect, up on a high-horse. Most just fall off it and hurt themselves.

    The key is to have an accurate picture of the role we are personally able to play. A guy who tries to pose himself as a Suit, when he’s really a Viking at heart, will go farther & do better, embracing & improving upon his true talent.

    And we see plenty of Vikings in suits these days, who are nobody’s Suit. :)

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  49. I’m probably just stating what someone else has already but I think that criticizing WordPress is good for it. Without it, the community and by extension WordPress wouldn’t be required to evolve.

    KevinJohn Gallagher gave us a concise list of reasons that caused his team to opt out of using WordPress. Instead of flaming him online for it, we should use it as a checklist to improve upon WordPress and make it even better than it already is.

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