Having been here since late 2007, and certainly having from time to time been the subject of “downvoting” and some fairly harsh statements . . .

I simply take all of these things in-stride as being an inevitable part of any-and-every online community of actual people.   There is not one single forum out there, anywhere on the Internet, that does not from time to time exhibit these dynamics.   They are especially to be found among the passionate, and truly brilliant, personalities that are the “Triple Crown Winners” which you do find right here.   (Present company excluded.)

Give me this.   I welcome it.   Let me be among the Triple Crowners and I shall endeavor to avoid their hooves.   A man may call me a Fool to my face and I shall not hold it against him.   Let him speak freely, so that I, but a Fool indeed, may yet learn from him, for this is why I have come.

When a flame-war breaks out, I tend to duck it and go about my business.   I might wince at the thread (if I happen to read it, which is quite unlikely), but I won’t say that anyone is actually on the attack, such that someone (e.g. on the TPF = “corporate” level) would need to “intervene.”   If you don’t see and expect to see flame-wars, then you are not among the company of real humans.

As a matter of principle, I (almost) never downvote.   I sprinkle a handful of up-votes but normally do not use up my daily quota.   I have twice expressed the opinion that downvotes should be removed and have been decisively opposed each time, so I yield the point.

But let me absolutely and clearly declare this:

perlmonks ... humanity and all ... is the best online community of professional programmers that I have ever experienced... period.   And, in spite of its somewhat-quirky foundation software, it is remarkably free of “moderator hand-of-God intervention.”   Therefore (and, aye, no matter what ye think of me), I think that all of us are doing a lot of things very right here.   Somehow.

And that calls for ... Beer!

Here’s a toast ... of proper Trappist Ale.   “Aye, for, no matter how bad a scoundrel we Holy scoundrels are, we’re not so bad after all!”