Taylor Otwell just announced a couple of great new Laravel things, at Laracon. A fairly simplistic description, for those who haven’t yet heard of them, are a custom Vagrant box and a SaaS platform for configuring PHP-able virtual servers.

This was immediately met with negativity. It follows the trend of Laravel-bashing pervasive on Reddit. I realise Reddit isn’t the best example of open-minded, considerate collaboration. But then you need to ask the question; should there be popular platforms upon which people can be incomparable assholes?

I guess the internet has evolved into a place where speech is uncensored (though Reddit has a bad, albeit recent, record on that count). Why this kind of unreasonable hatred is so popular is the part that surprises me.

Yes, Laravel includes many aspects which appeal to new developers. Is that a reason for hate? Should arrogant (read: unprofessional), experienced developers look down upon new developers, or projects which encourage their induction into programming? Of course not. We should welcome new people. We need them to keep us relevant. Maybe that relevance is in fixing their errors. Maybe it’s so that the next Rasmus can be born.

Yes, Laravel makes mistakes. That happens in every single software project. It always has, it always will. Is that any reason for hate? When did you suddenly submit pull requests to fix things, have them rejected (unreasonably), and thereby irrefutably gain the right to shit-talk the open, self-less and hard-working nature of others? If you are not part of the solution, you are a problem. Be that in Ruby, Python, Java, whatever. Be that in WordPress, Drupal, Magento, whatever.

I am not above unreasonable hatred. I have my own problems. I am not and will never, in this life, be perfect. But I can recognise when I am just being a dick. Sometimes that takes the help of others. Sometimes it takes removing myself to a safe distance so I can recognise my faults. Perhaps this is more about me talking to myself in the hopes that I avoid the poison seeping from the minds of otherwise capable developers.

Perhaps this speaks to you, and you can take comfort in the fact that people will be horrible, for no reason, all the time. And there’s nothing you need to do to fix it. Because you’re not the problem.

Perhaps this speaks to you because you are the problem. And whether you fix yourself or not, your past actions and your current actions are hurting a community that can ill-afford it. You can choose to be a reasonable, thinking, professional. Or you can choose to lambast people who are trying to help you. Because you think you are better. Because you think they are worse. Because instead of trying to resolve any of those things, you feel they deserve to hear the fetid putrefaction spewing forth from your arrogant, selfish mouth. A sign that your brain is shutting down, as you try desperately to claw your way towards a place of comfort; at the expense of others.