Developers working on projects designed to make life easier for users shoulder more of a responsibility than those who decided their particular itch-scratcher might be of interest to others but make no promises to the audience, and they incur a responsibility to at least attempt responsiveness. Users of these bits of encoded altruism have a responsibility to be constructive in their feedback. Some developers are protective of their children and turn a cold shoulder, others are more open. Hopefully, this info can help the development and prioritization of Evolution. An introduction like that, when you're a writer deep in a winter funk and recently called on your community's occasional flights into angry vitriol, invites a sharp intake of breath and a morbid curiosity akin to walking up on a mob hit that involves an accountant and a pit full of rabid dogs.
Cynicism demands a forecast that involves impending doom, hurt feelings, and some screaming.
The writer had stepped up to the intersection where anti-Microsoft sentiment and mailing list culture meet. I was hoping they'd just ignore him because the alternative wasn't pleasant. I'm going out of my way to report that I was happily, happily wrong. Now, it's no secret that the folks at Ximian are admirers of Outlook. People had their disagreements, but they were thoughtful and well-reasoned.