Well, let me tell my impression. Remember, we started talking impressions here all over the place, not facts. So *don't ask me to prove anything.*
i have an impression that mr. Dunning has masterfully concealed a very targeted insult in his carefully worded statement with the sole purpose of forcing certain participants to go into defensive and to turn a technical discussion into trading insults, in which he has obviously partially succeeded. I have an impression this has not been an isolated incident on mr. Dunning's part in the past, and i have strong suspicion that it was the wrong balance of technical merit and posturing in the project that drove more than one accomplished committer or candidate out in the past. I also have been receiving an impression that I am next such target on mr. Dunnings part just because my arguments are not technically favorable where he needs them to be favorable for whatever other-than-technical reason. I love the code in the project, that's in part why i am candid in its discussions, but it is repeated agrumentum ad hominem from mr. Dunning that is very close to driving me out. And I don't think beers can smooth that. As for welcoming, well, h2o is not exactly new topic here. I also think we need to have some bar for proposals to meet regardless of being welcoming. Finally, I have an impression everybody has areas where they possess less than brilliant expertise; i actually like to say about myself that "it pains me how little i know". I have no problem identifying areas of weaknesses in myself publicly and don't consider this to be offensive, since i know that the only way to improve knowledge is to first know where it is lacking. I am very perceptive to strong logical argument regardless if it fits my current world view or not. But I am particularly not fond of rhetorical fallacies, informal ones in particular. I am not very fond of marketing bluff or empty PR. It is a personal choice whether you accept that mindset or not, but grading areas of weakness is not an insult. That's what they do in universities all the time, after all.
