I guess it is a feature of the Internet that everyone can talk about things they know next to nothing about. But that is easy to forget.
The author is engaging with everyone in good faith. This kind of openness and willingness to change would be applauded.
The author could have simply written nothing, convinced themselves they were right about staying closed source or...
The author could have just ignored all the feedback they got and stayed closed source or...
In the face of opposition, really dug in an tried to double down and further justify staying closed source or...
Take the time to sort the constructive criticism out from the negative garbage, digest it, and try to grow from it.
They should be commended for being open minded and putting in the effort to grow. And to directly address the GP's comment, in order to grow the conversation has to start somewhere. You learn/grow through experience/engagement, and that's exactly what the author is doing, and in a pleasant, tactful way.