@Julian Suvarez - I am aware that there are pockets of animosity Automattic but I really don't want the point I am making to be swept into that maelstrom. In particular, I don't want people who care about WordPress and who bring up legitimate points to be lumped in with the usual suspects whose continual complaints are driven by spite and naked self-interest.

Perhaps I am naive, I have never met him in person, but, on the whole, I am impressed with Matt's leadership, I think we are lucky to have him. In fact, I am fucking amazed that, even after all these years, he appears not to have been softened by proximity to the world of big money and venture capital, he stills appears to genuinely believe in Open Source principles and has spoken more clearly and eloquently on that than anyone else. I trust the man.

Jane, too, is clearly dedicated albeit a tad prickly and that is why I did not mention her until she herself entered this discussion. I take your point that she is often merely the messenger and unfairly blamed for the decisions of others but I think my point is that, for whatever reason, it is the message that is being misinterpreted - we can all agree that there is confusion.

Of course, the momentum behind WordPress is so unstoppable that Automattic don't need to worry about the sensitivities of early adopters, there are more than enough newly-minted evangelists to replace the old-timers who have gradually become disgruntled, but it strikes me that misunderstandings like this could so easily be addressed before they fester into distrust.

Is it possible that the reason why people are so worried about saying the wrong thing is that they sense that the Automattic folks often feel embattled and will interpret any questioning of their actions as an attack?

Are our only choices really between being a fanboy or being an enemy?