I have never worked on TBird. I worked as the core developer/maintainer of the central component on a FOSS (allegedly) project that was supposed to integrate with myriad mail clients, including TB, but I had no interaction with the TB project except with one person. This will become important.
I have very little direct knowledge of the actual events that occurred leading to the ban - more that I experienced many things that allowed a lot of back calculation. And I experienced an AWFUL LOT of the person in question later on.
I have some very good guesses that I'd actually stake my reputation on, and if you know me, that's a thing I don't do. I am very good at and comfortable with the non-committal "I don't know".
I am not sure why I am going to tell this tale in any detail except that this thread was so absurd, and I hate that the FOSS community works like this - bros chiming in with their two cents about what must have happened when they just don't know anything.
I know something here. It's a different thing than in the thread, but it's something about the costs of "But his work!" that maybe you should know. If I can remember enough to talk about it. It's been a while.
I do not work in FOSS anymore. This guy and my former company's reaction to him are a large part of why. And I'm good with that. But this stuff continues because people don't talk, so maybe I'm just feeling up to it tonight.
More people are condemned in whatever I say about this than just this dude. I can live with that too.
No, I will not provide you with receipts. I don't owe you anything.
I am telling my story, and while I certainly have some shit somewhere and a ton of people who could corroborate this stuff, I AM NOT HERE TO DEBATE YOU ON THE INTERNETS.
I'm just here to talk about stuff that happened around me.
alcinnz