James Dickens recently posted a blog entry entitled Should this guy be canned?. The post points to Pradhap Devarajan’s blog, who, if you didn’t know, just so happens to be one of the guys behind the popular BeleniX Distribution of OpenSolaris.

Here’s what pisses me off… Pradhap created a little PERL script that gives you a more Linux like structure for the root user (home of /root, instead of Solaris standard /), makes a backup of your config, disables root login via telnet (which is default last I checked), and enables root login via ssh. Where do people get off giving him a hard time about providing this script? Both in the comments and in James’s blog Pradhap is being beat up about it and its publically suggested that because of it he should be fired.

Now, I’m sure some of you are thinking “d00d, chill out”, but this is the type of behaviour that keeps good people from doing good thing. If you don’t like the script, don’t run it, but don’t give him a ration of shit about it. There are a lot of people in this world that could provide good and helpful things but don’t because they are afraid of getting a lashing or looking stupid or something. Reactions to a simple script like this just re-enforce that “I’m glad I’m not blogging” fear people have.

How many people out there want to contribute code to projects or start their own projects but are afraid of getting laughed at or called names? Who wants that kind of abuse? The solution: don’t bother… don’t contribute.

And so, just a reminder to everyone… trash talking because something “isn’t the way it should be” does only 2 things: A) makes the person who was trying to help others feel like a schmuck, and B) makes you look like an idiot who’s just looking to thump his own chest. Live and let live. Contribute and collaborate and most importantly, remember that this is all about fun, first and foremost.