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Comment by deburo | Hacker News Reader

I blame the disagreement on online communications. Can you imagine this conflict lasting this long if these guys had been talking about it in person over coffee? They would probably behave with much more restraint and respect for each other.

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Even in 2022, having worked there, I guarantee that the Microsoft org chart meme [0] is still true. I do agree in-person talking would have helped.

[0] https://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2907963/microsoftguns.jpg

Truth. I tell my children that 90% of the fights I've gotten into with my friends (not enemies) have been on-line and not in-person.

When you're a global company serving a billion plus users on every continent, you can't expect face-to-face discussions with everyone who reports a bug or makes a feature request. You need to be able to handle written feedback.

Careful, that's starting to sound like an example of a downside to remote work, which is a touchy topic these days...

That's a downside of exclusive reliance on written communication, not of remote work. You can avoid this with a phone call or a "can we pair for a bit?" session as well.

I take it "Can we pair for a bit?", means 'meet to discuss..." The non-apology sounded more heartfelt than this.

No, I mean pair programming to work on the issue. More applicable to work colleagues than discussing over github.

idk, in person where I work we'd still have these discussions online.

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