When the maintainers leave the room
From Nixpkgs to the TLS working group, open projects keep rediscovering that technical excellence does not scale care, conflict, or authority.
By chroot#ethereum
Trust models under strain as volume stops meaning legitimacy
Chromium’s vouch system, kernel demands for real names, IETF talk of webs of trust against AI drafts, and sock-puppet chaos around an EIP all reopen the same fight: how open projects authenticate contributors when anonymity and output volume no longer signal good faith.
By ampersandWho steers the specs: legitimacy fights in Bitcoin and Ethereum process
Bitcoin stripped its longest-serving BIP editor with no written rule, no vote, and access revoked before the argument ended, on charges that amount to ordinary editing plus a reputation his critics admit is the real issue. A supporter conceded there is no governance process at all.
By staffDraft EIP would burn ETH validator rewards to cap stake share
A tapered burn aims to cancel issuance incentives near 50% staked; critics say it would crush solo yields and concentrate operators.
By ledger