If Tim Peters has a "history of being shitty", I'd expect Wikipedia to mention it. But his article is clean, if not golden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Peters_(software_engineer).
The only thing I've heard is that he's a bit neurodivergent/socially awkward, which I thought we were suppose to be welcoming and inclusive of.
The reality is that you may be confusing a victim with your political enemies.
I wouldn't expect it to show up on their Wikipedia page, because Wikipedia has a high barrier for what they consider reliable information, and they wouldn't use email list postings, or personal accounts of behavior in what they'd include. This person isn't really relevant enough for his behavior to show up in the news.
But, the employees at the foundation, who are responsible for keeping the community healthy, and for enforcing policies, would absolutely take complaints, then use personal accounts, email list history, chat history, and such. It's effectively like how HR works.
> The only thing I've heard
Right, because you're talking to the wrong people, and you're ignoring the fact that he has had folks complain about his behavior, and you're also ignoring his email list and chat history, which you could go look at.
You're acting like this is some kind of witch hunt, when it's simply "HR" enforcing "employment handbook" standards. It just happens to be that this is a set of volunteers, rather than employees.
> and you're also ignoring his email list and chat history, which you could go look at.
I'm not the person you replied to but I've just spent a bunch of time looking at (what seem to be) the relevant posts on https://discuss.python.org/, along with a couple of external posts about the ban, and I've yet to find anything that looks like a pattern of shitty behaviour on the part of Tim Peters. I wasn't previously aware of him and I obviously may have missed something important, so I ask this in good faith: can you point to some of the specific emails/chats you had in mind? (I'm happy not to argue the point if you'd prefer not to; I'd just like to see the strongest anti-Peters evidence.)
I was looking for a credible source, which you have not supplied.
The threads you've waved at do not show Tim to be the "racist, sexist or creep" that you've insinuated. Rather, they show a committee that can't handle questions, abuses its own rules, and hides behind HR & secret "complaints".
Of course, that's just my opinion from skimming. It'd be better to have someone credible give honest evidence, instead of someone defaming & blaming while projecting their bigotry onto others.
> because you're talking to the wrong people, and you're ignoring the fact that he has had folks complain about his behavior, and you're also ignoring his email list and chat history, which you could go look at.
Can you provide any concrete evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever?
For example, Mr. Peters has published comments of his that were removed from the pertinent discussions, and I can vouch for their accuracy from my own recollection. (Since the Discourse forum can also be used via mailing list, and emails cannot be un-sent, presumably many other people can corroborate via their own local backups, too.) Can you find anything in them to suggest wrongdoing?
Not wrongdoing, but maybe sealioning and other forms of light trolling with plausible deniability. Maybe others grew a bit tired of this and he wouldn't change his behaviour.
The fact that there is no official concrete list of bannable posts suggests there are no standalone posts to look at and be like "wow, how come he's not banned yet". On the other hand I know people who walk a very tight line and find loopholes in every rule, and mods have a very hard time "officially" banning those types (even for a short time to help them reflect on their behaviour). Maybe it was like a town where the main bully met unfortunate circumstances and all twenty witnesses haven't actually seen anything for some reason.
Okay, but can you provide any concrete examples of anything objectionable whatsoever?
> The fact that there is no official concrete list of bannable posts suggests
No; it suggests that he did nothing wrong. Which he didn't.
> On the other hand I know people who walk a very tight line and find loopholes in every rule, and mods have a very hard time "officially" banning those types
I observed him throughout the entire exchange. He did nothing wrong.
ryan_lane claims to know things here, but refuses to cite anything. Because, I contend, there is nothing to cite.
Yes, Mr. Peters apparently has a personality that rubs certain people the wrong way, and over time they get the impression of wrongdoing. I find this impression to be completely unreasonable. But more importantly, the Python Code of Conduct explicitly to "be respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences" and "show empathy towards other community members"; and the way that people find fault with Mr. Peters demonstrates nothing of the sort. It is rather about seeking uncharitable interpretation, which goes so far as to state overt falsehoods.
Also: speaking from personal experience as a moderator, "skill issue tbh". At any rate, despite its length, the Python Code of Conduct is not a bunch of legalese in which people might be able to find "loopholes". The judgment of whether someone is playing along is appropriately subjective, as it needs to be for such matters.
The problem is that it isn't being applied fairly. Not even remotely.
> Maybe it was like a town where the main bully met unfortunate circumstances and all twenty witnesses haven't actually seen anything for some reason.
The PSF goes out of its way to avoid this circumstance with its reporting and incident-handling procedures. It goes so far (which is part of the problem) that they explicitly use it to justify a refusal to show any kind of evidence, even in cases where nobody in the discussion can imagine a way that the evidence could identify a reporter.
Definitely true. Wikipedia has sensitivities reflecting their most dedicated (& extremely online) administrators. Alert & keen for some topics while inert & hostile to others.
I use their bias sometimes for detection. For example, the GP here advances a melodramatic allegation, which someone from their Wikipedian tribe would certainly have documented-- if the evidence aligned with their bias.
The reality is that you may be confusing a victim with your political enemies.