removing toxic emailers

[Paul Koning]

> On Apr 15, 2021, at 11:17 AM, Iain Sandoe <iain@sandoe.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> ...
> responding in general to this part of the thread.
> 
> * The GCC environment is not hostile, and has not been for the 15 or so
> years I’ve been part of the community.

Glad to see you feel that way; my view matches yours.

> * We would notice if it became so, I’m not sure about the idea that the wool
>  can be so easily pulled over our eyes.
> 
> I confess to being concerned with the equation “code” > “conduct”; it is not
> so in my professional or personal experience.   I have seen an engineering
> team suffer great losses of performance from the excesses of one (near genius,
> but very antisocial) member - the balance was not met.  Likewise, it has been
> seen to be a poor balance when there are three gifted individuals in a household
> but one persecutes the other two (for diagnosed reaons).. again balance is not
> met
> 
> One could see the equation becoming a self-fullfilling prophecy viz.
> 
> *  let us say compilers are complex, and  any significant input over length of time
>   will require a resonably competent engineer.
> 
> * reasonably competent engineers with a good social habit are welcome everywhere
> 
> * reasonably competent engineers with poor social habit are welcome in few places.

All true.

> - those few places will easily be able to demonstrate that their progress is made
>  despite the poor atmosphere, with no way to know that something better was possible.
> 
> responding to the thread in general..
> 
> * Please could we try to seek concensus?
> 
> - it is disappointing to see people treating this as some kind of point-scoring game
>  when to those working on the compiler day to day it is far from a game.

I'm not sure what the consensus is you're looking for.  Consensus on the principle that people should behave in a civil fashion? Yes, I agree with that.  

The difficulty, as I mentioned, is in deciding in concrete situations whether that principle was violated and what should be done about it.  So I think the easy part is the principle; the hard part is the process that will enforce the principle in those cases where it needs to be -- and ONLY in those cases.  Again, if the question had come up 10 years ago I wouldn't be so worried; but in 2021 after years of watching people being blacklisted for daring to speak the wrong politics of the day, I can no longer do so.

	paul