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This feels emotionally charged and I can understand why. The commenter in the second screenshot was definitely rude with their “Be realistic” comment, implying

This feels emotionally charged and I can understand why. The commenter in the second screenshot was definitely rude with their “Be realistic” comment, implying that you’re full of crap. That being said, the first comment seems rather polite and considerate to me. Yes accusations of neglect are rough, but if that isn’t the case it shouldn’t be too hard to put a disclaimer in the README as to why the project isn’t moving much. Your feelings are valid, but so are theirs (although in some case should have been expressed more thoughtfully). It doesn’t feel productive to dismiss their questions on the ground that you behave differently when faced with this situation.

minimaxir 3y ago
I admit that this post was unusually emotionally charged and I do not intend to make a habit of it.
nlawalker 3y ago
On the topic of emotional charge: a lot of the terms used around this topic ("dead", "abandoned", "neglected", "ignored") are themselves emotionally charged and carry a lot of negative connotations, not in the least because they're often used when referring to sentient beings that feel pain. Loved ones die; children are abandoned; pets are neglected; cries for help are ignored. Even a lot of other similar words that don't carry that level of emotion still imply laziness or carelessness. An open source project does not have any opinion or feeling about not being under active development, but people interested in the project might, and they can use those words to communicate their displeasure by evoking those feelings. But, I'd wager that there are just as many instances where no connotation or hard feelings are intended. Words are powerful! If you are merely asking, maybe avoid "dead" or "abandoned" when "no longer actively maintained" will do. And if you're not merely asking and really do want to communicate your displeasure, maybe just don't.

minimaxir 3y ago

I admit that this post was unusually emotionally charged and I do not intend to make a habit of it.

nlawalker 3y ago

On the topic of emotional charge: a lot of the terms used around this topic ("dead", "abandoned", "neglected", "ignored") are themselves emotionally charged and carry a lot of negative connotations, not in the least because they're often used when referring to sentient beings that feel pain. Loved ones die; children are abandoned; pets are neglected; cries for help are ignored. Even a lot of other similar words that don't carry that level of emotion still imply laziness or carelessness. An open source project does not have any opinion or feeling about not being under active development, but people interested in the project might, and they can use those words to communicate their displeasure by evoking those feelings. But, I'd wager that there are just as many instances where no connotation or hard feelings are intended. Words are powerful! If you are merely asking, maybe avoid "dead" or "abandoned" when "no longer actively maintained" will do. And if you're not merely asking and really do want to communicate your displeasure, maybe just don't.