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Date:      Thu, 6 Feb 2003 09:18:01 -0500
From:      Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@online.fr>
To:        Neil Blakey-Milner <nbm@mithrandr.moria.org>
Cc:        John Polstra <jdp@polstra.com>, chat@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: patchset 2 report (billh's resignation)
Message-ID:  <20030206141801.GA5599@papagena.rockefeller.edu>
In-Reply-To: <20030206081750.GB35718@mithrandr.moria.org>
References:  <20030206050728.GA4651@papagena.rockefeller.edu> <20030206081750.GB35718@mithrandr.moria.org>

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Neil Blakey-Milner said on Feb  6, 2003 at 10:17:50:
> While John's replies were pretty concise, and not surrounded by the
> pleasantries everyone seems to require in conversations today, I don't
> see John saying:
> 
> "Bill, we don't appreciate your work."
> "Bill, we didn't like you and so we specifically didn't use you."
> "Bill, we didn't think you were capable of doing it."
> "Bill, we thought Alexey was better than you."
> "Bill, you're obviously an arrogant pratt and we're happy we didn't use
> you."

No, he didn't say any of that (should I have expected him to?)  And I
agree Bill's mails were quite atrocious.  However, Bill's feelings
were legitimately hurt at not being consulted (he says he was looking
to be part of the process, after contributing so much, not necessarily
looking for the job itself).  

Bill's first two mails, while unnecessarily threatening, ask nothing
more than an explanation for this.

To that, Polstra sees it fit to reply, in essence, "I don't have to
tell you anything."  (ie, to quote, "We are answerable to our donors"
and "there are easily a hundred people who could have done this".)  He
can at least try and mollify a ruffled developer, but ideally he can
give him some details of the process.  In fact, ideally a significant
contributor would not have been excluded from the process in the first
place.

This is about human relations -- the guy at the top, who *should* be
emotionally stable,  dealing with a talented worker who's not
necessarily emotionally stable.  I wouldn't be so outraged if Polstra
weren't VP of the FreeBSD Foundation (and reminded you of that in
every signature).  Someone in that position should learn to deal with
upset colleagues a bit better than telling them that he doesn't care
how they feel, it's not his responsibility.

- Rahul

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