Re: The current state of affairs, as I see it.

[Scott Goehring <scott poverty bloomington in us>]

Bowie's message left a really nasty taste in my mouth.  I am rather
offended by Bowie's systematic belittlement of Tom's contributions.
Even if Tom's contributions are of little merit (and I make no such
claim, as I have not evaluated them), Bowie's debasement of Tom has no
place in a civilized discussion.  Bowie should apologize to Tom for
this ill treatment.

GNOME development is based on a model of community-building.  Bowie,
if you want to lead development of the style guide, you're going to
have to build _respect_, _trust_, and _reputation_ with other members
of the GNOME community.  You cannot _demand_ these things.  You have
to act in a manner which will inculcate these things in others.  We
(the people who make up GNOME) listen to Federico and Miguel because
they listen to us and respect our opinions and because they get
results.  You were admitted to the community because Federico invited
you, but that invitation will only get you in the door.  Now that
you're here, you're going to have to establish your own reputation on
your own merits.  And, to be honest, you're not doing a very good job
of it.

Every time you attempt to command our obedience by invoking Federico
or Miguel, you lose more respect.  You're shooting yourself in the
foot, because you haven't bothered to learn the ground rules of doing
business in an open-source environment like GNOME.  I strongly suggest
you back off, take some time to recollect your feelings, and elect a
new approach to this context that takes into consideration the
environment in which you are operating.  Otherwise, you and your
project are doomed.

Consider these words carefully.  Thank you.