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Just ignoring someone, IRL or online can have its consequences. The homeless guy can attack you physically. The online troll can try to cancel you digitally. I

Just ignoring someone, IRL or online can have its consequences. The homeless guy can attack you physically. The online troll can try to cancel you digitally. If the last few years have taught us anything, it is that no one is safe from abusive behavior by people who feel entitled to something you have (money, time, etc.) and seem to have nothing better to do than go after you for the slightest thing. Online they can badmouth you and your project to everyone they contact. They can leave nasty comments on your blog or in open forums like HN. They can give your product bad reviews. They can issue takedown notices to social media sites.

Gigachad 4y ago
Never interact online with your real name. The internet is not a real place. Block the people who are annoying and get on with doing what you enjoy. They can try to cancel your online name all they want. It doesn't matter.
- johnny22 4y ago
  Many (if not most) contribute to FOSS projects under their real names, and often have their email addresses (even if maybe project specific), so they can bother you off list in various ways. This happens in FOSS projects even to this day. There's this one dude who is banned from a popular linux distro mailing list, so he reads the public archives and emails the people he has disagreements with to yell at them. Nobody who signed up for that list expected to be yelled at by some asshole. Others have followed maintainers of projects to other projects to yell at them and spread lies about them to others.
  - Gigachad 4y ago
    If you are interacting with FOSS as part of your job then this is unavoidable. But if you just want to contribute and share some stuff, it's better to keep it separate. Don't let some online drama affect your source of income.
- dnissley 4y ago
  I disagree with never using your real name. The internet is a real place. Block liberally, absolutely. Use anon accounts liberally as well.
  - Jcowell 4y ago
    Yeah I never understand that saying. The internet isn’t a physical place but it’s still a place.
llanowarelves 4y ago
It is fairly straightforward to outlaw this kind of thing. Extend the same laws that we have about commercial speech to the public, to any speech that is to the public. Not speech that is in public, speech that is to the public at large. Must be warrantied, with due diligence. You know how people talk in the court, so they don't accidentally lie (and get the punishments that that would entail)? Imagine if politicians (or anyone) had to abide by that when they speak to the public. I have a feeling their bombastic claims (and lies) used to incite and defraud people would be greatly tempered and have more qualifying statements. Fraud, libel, and slander laws restored.

Gigachad 4y ago

Never interact online with your real name. The internet is not a real place. Block the people who are annoying and get on with doing what you enjoy. They can try to cancel your online name all they want. It doesn't matter.

johnny22 4y ago
Many (if not most) contribute to FOSS projects under their real names, and often have their email addresses (even if maybe project specific), so they can bother you off list in various ways. This happens in FOSS projects even to this day. There's this one dude who is banned from a popular linux distro mailing list, so he reads the public archives and emails the people he has disagreements with to yell at them. Nobody who signed up for that list expected to be yelled at by some asshole. Others have followed maintainers of projects to other projects to yell at them and spread lies about them to others.
- Gigachad 4y ago
  If you are interacting with FOSS as part of your job then this is unavoidable. But if you just want to contribute and share some stuff, it's better to keep it separate. Don't let some online drama affect your source of income.
dnissley 4y ago
I disagree with never using your real name. The internet is a real place. Block liberally, absolutely. Use anon accounts liberally as well.
- Jcowell 4y ago
  Yeah I never understand that saying. The internet isn’t a physical place but it’s still a place.

llanowarelves 4y ago

It is fairly straightforward to outlaw this kind of thing. Extend the same laws that we have about commercial speech to the public, to any speech that is to the public. Not speech that is in public, speech that is to the public at large. Must be warrantied, with due diligence. You know how people talk in the court, so they don't accidentally lie (and get the punishments that that would entail)? Imagine if politicians (or anyone) had to abide by that when they speak to the public. I have a feeling their bombastic claims (and lies) used to incite and defraud people would be greatly tempered and have more qualifying statements. Fraud, libel, and slander laws restored.