Aaron SumnerMay 29
I'm still angry and trying to recall the things I love about #Ruby and #RubyOnRails. 20 years ago, when I was pondering Ruby vs. Python, Rails vs. Django, I actually read _why's (Poignant) Guide to Ruby. (1/?)
Show threadAaron SumnerMay 29

I've said it before, any community that'd welcome this weirdo is one I wanna be part of. Bonus: It helped me do my bit to make a better world, and paid my bills!

The day _why was outed broke my heart. And watching DHH and Tobi reveal their true colors recently has been increasingly rough. (2/?)

Show threadAaron Sumner
I still love Ruby and Rails. I even enjoy the times I still get to code in dilapidated Ruby systems—even in the horrendous codebases built when Rails was the hotness, but people weren't taught how to use it. And I'll keep sharing what I learn along the way. (3/?)
May 29 at 4:32amJust Crosspost Dev
Show threadAaron SumnerMay 29
But I'm really leery of #Ruby or #RubyOnRails thought leaders in 2025 who aren't talking about the DHH and Tobi problems. (4/?)
Show threadAaron SumnerMay 29
I understand that many of you are employed by one or the other. And I get that I'm a D-lister at best these days, so it's easy for me to whine. But still. #RubyFriends can do better. #minaswan (5/fin)
Show threadEsparta May 29

@ruralocity

> And I get that I'm a D-lister at best these days, so it's easy for me to whine

Not sure if this help, but you are not a D-lister for me: you are a great person who happen to work with #ruby and have great content to share (and I bough it twice, on purpose!), no need to be part of any list at all.

Show threadAaron SumnerMay 29
@esparta thank you, my friend! That made my evening ❤️
Show threadEsparta May 29

@ruralocity

> #minaswan

don't get me wrong, but since I joined the #ruby community, 10 years ago, that was the first criticism I've had:

> Matz is nice and so we are nice

Sorry, but no, that's not how it works. If Matz is nice, that's good, but people are not nice by association, #minaswan would be just happenstance.

People like you, Aaron Summer, had a long, slow, constant, solid journey towards being a good person, it's independent of what Matz did, and has their own merits.

Show threadAaron SumnerMay 29
@esparta that's totally fair. I try to use MINASWAN as a reminder to check my own behavior, try to follow Matz's lead, and as a reminder that there are good people putting good things into the world—not always to assume others will respond in kind, but hoping they'll at least think about their actions. Maybe pollyanna-ish.
Show threadEsparta May 29

@ruralocity

continuing about #minaswan

back in the 2010s a lot of people were piggybacking on #minaswan with literally:

"See, Matz is nice, that means I'm nice"

which once I (almost) reply:

> No sir, you are still a racist who happen to work with #ruby for a living, earning a lot of money because of that, and contributing almost nothing but a praise and "exposure" to the language. How being (somehow) associated with Matz made you a nice person?

** true story.

Show threadPointlessOne May 30
@ruralocity @esparta I always took it as a reminder. Matz is nice and so we *must be* nice. I thought it was the intended meaning. It just doesn’t give a nice acronym.
Show threadPointlessOne May 30
@ruralocity @esparta I still found it a bit weird that people hung it all on one guy. It’s great that Matz is nice and seem to hold on to that over the years. But what we’re gonna do if after 40 years he suddenly starts drowning kittens? (Purely hypothetically, I don’t think he will) Shouldn’t we have independent standard of behavior that is not vulnerable to one person failing? I mean DHH was far from ideal but also a lot of his issues became known only much later.
Show threadalexanderadamMay 29
@ruralocity same 🙏🏻
Show threadCédric Delalande May 29
@ruralocity My thoughts, exactly.
Show threadspilthMay 29
@ruralocity D-lister? Pshaw! "Everyday Rails Testing with RSpec" is one of the most enlightening Rails books I've ever read!
Show threadAaron SumnerMay 29
@spilth thank you, I appreciate that!
Show threadCédric Delalande May 29

@ruralocity Actually, I do not mind DHH and Tobi being part of the community.
To me, #minswan means everyone, even bigots, are welcome.
Given their position at 37signals and Shopify, they DO have a very strong influence on the community - it's a fact, what can we do about it?
So my take is that this influence should not be emphasized by giving them the mic so easily.

That's separation of concerns.