Shedding Bikes

I'd like to just do a quick thank you to github for implementing the new Block The Bullies feature, and to actually step up and call it what it is: bullying. They've also been on point to block anyone who griefed my projects over the last day, and they've done it fast, which is awesome. I'll gladly keep my projects there now that I know my project collaborators won't have to deal with abuse from idiots.

This was one of the reasons I didn't want to put my code on github. If I ran my own project services then I could easily control the griefers and trolls. I could just block them. Also, they weren't really smart enough to figure out fossil so I didn't run into them that often. Github however was this large "community" full of mostly Ruby programmers who acted with a mob mentality regarding me. Without any way to block people I knew I'd run into that ever present dark side of community: gangs.

During the day my projects (which means all my collaborators) received more griefing from 3 people, and a total of 10 emails with ASCII dongs in them. Each time, Rick Olson (a man I respect very much) blocked them and banned them for violating the Github Terms of service. They also worked to create a feature that I think was long overdue on such a large social site.

People who don't have a small group of weakling anonymous trolls constantly after them couldn't understand this. I actually had friends email me saying they were really sorry people harass me about my book being on github, and then ask me to join github. To them, community is this great thing they don't mind following because they don't ever do anything adventurous that might piss someone off. They just couldn't understand why I'd be so "contrarian".

I hope everyone now understands why I didn't want to get onto github. I just knew this kind of thing would happen on github and not on something I ran myself. I knew that there were people working at github who didn't like me, and were in on these stupid ASCII dong jokes or who named projects FU zed and refuse to change it. Having to deal with that while trying to make something is just too much.

But, I took the chance anyway and, despite yesterday's stupidity I'm feeling more comfortable keeping these few projects there. I probably won't move any more there, but I can leave these there for now.

Thanks github.

While we're on the topic of bullying, I'd like you to donate to the PACER National Bullying Prevention Center and/or the The Trevor Project as a show of support for people speaking out against this kind of abuse. I'm perfectly capable of defending myself online, but others aren't, and these groups help kids who are bullied online for being different. They're good causes and it'll make you feel good about yourself, so donate.