There has been a fair amount of criticism surrounding Mastodon today. However, instead of adding more negativity towards Eugen, I believe it would be valuable to take a step back and consider a few other things:

1. It's important to keep in mind that any open-source project led by one primary developer is bound to have its challenges. People can be messy, and it's inevitable for some problems to arise.

2. Whenever an open-source project makes a decision (or even if they choose not to make one), it's likely to stir up some disagreement and controversy. This is simply part of the nature of open-source projects. Even individuals who haven't contributed directly to the project often feel a sense of ownership and have opinions about its direction.

3. When an unpopular decision occurs in an open-source project, it's common for people to wonder why there isn't someone managing the developers. However, very few individuals volunteer for that unpaid role. And, to be honest, it's difficult to trust anyone who does volunteer because their motivations might not always be aligned with the community's best interests.

4. If you believe you have an important opinion that should be shared, I encourage you to sleep on it. If it's genuinely insightful, you'll still have the opportunity to express it tomorrow morning.

5. Trust me, open-source development is hard work. Despite potential missteps, most developers are genuinely doing their best. So, even amidst all the frustration and anger, it's crucial for everyone to remember this and approach the situation with empathy.

It's completely fine to have concerns about the direction Mastodon is taking, but it's equally important to avoid piling on and harassing others simply because the project is heading in a direction you don't agree with.
@atomicpoet Re: #3, every time Eugen has had those roles, they've quit because Eugen is evidently pretty intolerable to work with.
@aurynn Or like you and Vyr experienced; you get his attack dogs turned on you. In terms of the search function he's implementing, it's basically the same as the patch Vyr made but without any attribution. Same dude who kicked her off the Mastodon GitHub and closed all her open issues. @atomicpoet
@atomicpoet That's all so true, and I hate to admit it. I have been one of those previously against Gargron in the past.
@atomicpoet Your point 4. That. On a loop. For everything. That’s pure solid gold wisdom right there. Point 4. Always. My god, thousands of proofs that your point 4 is GOLD. Thank you for all of this. :)
@atomicpoet All great points Chris, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
@atomicpoet what happened? I’m out of the loop.
@atomicpoet It's not exclusive to open source software. Whatever decision you make when managing the direction of a piece of software, it _will_ piss people off.
@heinragas @atomicpoet
Yep, tried to open the calendar in Windows 11 by clicking the bottom right time date.
It didn't appear.
But I knew Microsoft doesn't give a rat's about its users already cause I tried to use screen capture to get support.
And screen capture didn't happen either.
Love monkies.
@atomicpoet you can never make everyone happy. Its just impossible. There are so many alternatives in #fediverse where people can easily turn to when they dont like something at all. Thats the big advantage here. I appreciate that very much and am happy what @Gargron has built so far. Thx very much! #mastodon is not perfect but for me already far better than those multi billion corporate owned #socialnetworks.
@atomicpoet

Hi, I did not follow the discussions behind your motivation to make this toot. But could you perhaps quote some examples users are complaining about?
😘

@atomicpoet If this is about shutting off anonymous streaming, it's also important to note the underlying Fediverse culture split going on.

Half want it to be completely open, ala USENET. Federate with everyone! HTTP requests are a human right!

The other half consider open access to be an inconvenient implementation detail. Full-text search is suspect and scrapers are an attack. Turn on AUTHORIZED_FETCH and hope for a day where federation is an allowlist.