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Some notes, links and references related to me being blocked from the Homebrew GitHub organisation in ~2023 after what, as best as I am able to conclude, was mix of misunderstanding and miscommunications; collected as context to support a review of the facts, and hopefully a reconsideration of the block.
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hombrew-block-review-context.md

Homebrew Block Review Context

Some notes, links and references related to me being blocked from the Homebrew GitHub organisation in ~2023 after what, as best as I am able to conclude, was mix of misunderstanding and miscommunications; collected as context to support a review of the facts, and hopefully a reconsideration of the block.

Table of Contents

Related Links

Context / Timeline

The below is an attempt to capture a vague timeline (in reverse chronological order, newest at the top) of related context to make reviewing the relevant facts easier.

Note: It may be incomplete as it is still a WIP; so please read any omissions as "I didn't get to that yet / couldn't find it / similar" rather than "I was actively attempting to obscure this".

2025

  • October
    • https://x.com/_devalias/status/1973603632617759172

      • Glenn 'devalias' Grant (@_devalias) — 2:19 PM · Oct 2, 2025

        @MacHomebrew I've also been wondering for a while if there was a way that I could seek a 'review' of the context of the misunderstandings that lead to me being blocked from the Homebrew GitHub organisation in ~2023; but I wasn't able to find any documentation/process for that.

        (Unsure if that was due to my failed searching, or if there isn't one available publicly anywhere)

        I don't want to unnecessarily contact anyone from Homebrew in a way that might be seen as trying to 'evade' that block; nor do I want to contact any maintainers outside of 'official channels'; as I know that many open source devs prefer to keep communications restricted to the appropriate repo/discussions/etc.

        If I wasn't blocked from the Homebrew GitHub organisation, I would probably have opened a 'Discussion' there; but not being able to feels like a bit of a catch 22; so when the idea of reporting https://x.com/_devalias/status/1973599517338406939 via Twitter came to me today; I figured maybe this would also be an appropriate place to ask about potentially reviewing the facts around the block.

        If it would be helpful; via messages here (openly, or DM) or some other means, I am happy to dig up the relevant links / context to explain my side of things (to reduce the 'review effort' required for you); and if there are any questions / clarifications that would be helpful, I am more than happy to answer those as best I can.

        Either way, thanks for the time spent reading this, and for the tools and services you provide to the community in general; they are appreciated.

    • https://x.com/_devalias/status/1973599517338406939

      • Glenn 'devalias' Grant (@_devalias) — 2:02 PM · Oct 2, 2025

        @MacHomebrew I'm unable to open an issue for this directly on GitHub (due to past misunderstandings/miscommunications), but I noticed that the Xnapper package appears to be outdated (shows 1.17.1, which appears to be from 04 Oct 2023; whereas the changelog shows the latest is v1.4.1 from 14 Aug 2025); and wanted to raise that for everyones benefit as best I could:

        https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-cask/blob/HEAD/Casks/x/xnapper.rb

        https://xnapper.com/changelog

      • https://x.com/_devalias/status/1973599519825862912

        • Glenn 'devalias' Grant (@_devalias) — 2:02 PM · Oct 2, 2025

          Presumably the core issue is that they seem to have chosen to reset/otherwise break their version numbering between the older versions and the modern ones; so the 1.17.1 is being seen as newer than the 1.4.1; so not registering as updated.

2023

  • December
    • Homebrew/brew#16345
      • Notes: This PR was opened specifically based on some of the points of friction/feedback I documented in the prior issue.
      • Homebrew/brew#16345 (review)
        • Notes: Because this PR was opened to fix points of friction I had identified in my below issue, I left some notes/thoughts/suggestions on it as a 'comment review' (not attempting to approve/reject it, but just to provide my insights/contributions and tie it back to relevant in-flight changes/things that had been said elsewhere/etc. Everything I shared there was intended to help achieve the best outcome, and where possible I took on the extra effort of finding/connecting it to references/etc to reduce the burden on the maintainer; all things which are generally actively appreciated in other projects I have contributed to; and none of which (from memory) was suggested as 'not allowed / wanted' in the contributing docs/etc.)
      • Homebrew/brew#16345 (comment)
        • Notes: Which I am then 'punished' for; even though it was directly related to an issue I raised, I wasn't attempting to approve/reject it, and to my knowledge/memory, there was nothing written in the contributing docs/etc to say that that wasn't allowed/only restricted to maintainers. It felt like an unfair personal attack, seemingly not based on the merits of the contribution I was making, but with how the maintainer appeared (to my perception/assumption) to be overwhelmed/burnt out/similar, and that causing the volume of contributions I was making to feel overwhelming.
    • Homebrew/brew#16342
      • Notes: This issue was my attempt to document and highlight the friction points a new contributor has to face; with the intention being to smooth out and simplify the process to remove friction
      • Homebrew/brew#16342 (comment)
        • Notes: This contains some relevant/decent feedback, but also a 'request' that feels like it is unfairly punishing me for the effort I am contributing.
      • Homebrew/brew#16342 (comment)
        • Notes: I communicate my concerns with (how I perceived) what was shared (the 'praise sandwich' part could have been an overstep on my side; potentially influenced by prior 'negative' (or borderline) interactions with the maintainer); as well as trying to tie that back in to things that I have learned in life, as well as what appeared to be relevent documentation from Homebrew's own policies/etc. I also asked that if the 'request' is an 'official rule', that it be documented in those appropriate locations so that as a potential contributor I can read that up front. I also then go on to address the other more relevant issue-related feedback.
      • Homebrew/brew#16342 (comment)
        • Notes: This seems to start off by clarifying my seemed misinterpretation; but then appears to disregard that and veer into a less constructive negative space, with elements of 'disregard my contributions'/etc. It then also doubles down on misinterpreting the intent of why I shared things (in a positive / good intent / faith way, with genuine 'concern' / empathy), and taking the "no, bad, stop, do as I say" authoritarian approach of 'punishing' me for trying to follow the written 'rules'; while itself basically violating them.
      • Homebrew/brew#16342 (comment)
        • Notes: This concludes that the relevant changes to be made are to documentation, and refers to opening a PR (above) to address some of the points of friction I identified in this issue.
      • Homebrew/brew#16342 (comment)
        • Notes: I clarify that its not just about documentation changes, but that improvements to the automatic style checkers / create commands / templates / etc would also improve things a lot; and then a further edit to clarify what I learned after reviewing the PR in more detail; including highlighting where I think it could be improved further, and pointing to the specifics that I looked up of where those changes could likely be made.
      • Homebrew/brew#16342 (comment)
        • Notes: Here I get back to the earlier 'less contructive negative space' comments; highlighting the time and effort I put into doing so (in good faith), and sharing my concerns that it will be further misinterpreted and used against me (as similar efforts had been in the past). I go on to address each section of the prior feedback, accepting where I was wrong, asking for clarity where things weren't clear, acknowledging prior feedback about how deeper nuances of discussions may be better handled in private, etc. It feels like I need to go into 'overexplain' 'walk on eggshells' type framing to attempt to not be further misinterpreted, which is why I get detailed/specific/verbose in my responses. I share where I am at openly, transparently, and vulnerably; in the hopes that that will allow a better outcome and less misunderstandings.
      • Homebrew/brew#16342 (comment)
        • Notes: In it's attempts to 'avoid further back-and-forth', this seems to continue the theme of misinterpreting what I have shared, and in some ways seemingly outright feels like it wasn't even read given I specifically addressed some points made here as to how I intended things (eg. the sentiments where I am expressing genuine empathy and that is perceived as a negative). It then goes on to take my open/transparent sharing, reduce that to a conclusion that doesn't actually match my intent/desire, treat that conclusion as absolute fact, and then concludes that temporarily blocking me is the best outcome.
      • Homebrew/brew#16342 (comment)
        • Notes: This refers to 'additional information shared privately' about 'problematic behaviour' continuing, and uses that as justification to make the temporary block permanent. As far as I am aware, the only thing that occurred in this time that I can imagine related to this was me sharing this twitter thread on my personal account, highlighting some of the concerns I had around the how interactions had played out. I explicilty chose to phrase the comments in that thread in a way that avoided any perception of being a personal attack / similar; though even so, I was concerned that they would be misinterpreted and used as a weapon against me; which as best as I am able to infer (as I have not seen what the 'additional information' about continued 'problematic behaviour' was) is what happened. To say that that feels unfair is an understatement; though it feels like it continues the pattern of violating what was written in the code of conduct / contributing docs / etc around being open to feedback/disagreements/etc. There is definitely some frustration implied in the words I shared, but I don't believe that constitutes continuing 'problematic behaviour' in a way that justifies being permanently banned; particularly when the whole reason I shared it was because I believed that there is a disconnect between what is documented in the standards, and how that was being applied; and my concerns about how that negatively impacts people.
    • Homebrew/brew#16334
      • Notes: This seemed to be a largely useful and positive interaction until it was closer, presumably when I was banned.
    • Homebrew/homebrew-cask#162382
      • Homebrew/homebrew-cask#162382 (comment)
        • Notes: The contributions and iterations of feedback alignment that were being made here were lost when this issue got closed once I got banned; which feels both unfair, and like a waste of good faith effort both from myself, and from the maintainer who was reviewing the changes.
    • Homebrew/brew#16327
      • Homebrew/brew#16327 (review)
        • Notes: Positive comment RE: adjusting my 'tone' in line with previous feedback
        • Homebrew/brew#16327 (comment)
          • Notes: This was me attempting to communicate my level of disagreement with the decision, while still being explicit in acknowledging I'm not the final decider
        • Homebrew/brew#16327 (comment)
          • Notes: This comment seems as though it didn't take issue with how I expressed my disagreement; which in a number of ways is confusing since I feel like I had a 'worse tone' here than I did in a lot of prior situations that I was 'scolded' for.
        • Homebrew/brew#16327 (comment)
          • Notes: Here I am trying to highlight what I feel is a decision that is going to lead to a worse outcome for all involved; that I have been overruled on in a different variation of it earlier.
        • Homebrew/brew#16327 (comment)
          • Notes: While this does prefix with 'respectfully', it doesn't really come across that way; but it also isn't a big issue, and does raise a fair point RE: users doing the wrong thing.
        • Homebrew/brew#16327 (comment)
          • Notes: Here I give feedback on the 'friction' of the above comment that seemed to focus on the 'do as I say', while not actually addressing the core blocker.
      • Homebrew/brew#16327 (comment)
        • Notes: Here I share my appreciation for the 'positive adjusted tone' comment, but also feel the need to provide my candid feedback (prefixed with a LOT of extra words to try and attempt to avoid it being misinterpreted / misconstrued as had happened with prior situations) along with references/etc to 'ground' it
        • https://x.com/_devalias/status/1729477893213008104
      • Homebrew/brew#16327 (comment)
        • Notes: The feedback I gave seems to be initially received relatively well, with a boundary that some of the finer specifics are something they would prefer to address in a private channel, which is fair enough.
      • Homebrew/brew#16327 (comment)
        • Notes: Which I tried to respond to positively, while also sharing my personal insights/views of things I find helpful in avoiding miscommunications/misunderstandings/etc.
      • Homebrew/brew#16327 (comment)
        • Notes: But then that seems to be misinterpreted as a negative here.
      • Homebrew/brew#16327 (comment)
        • Notes: Made a note to link to where I had responded to that (along with other aspects) for ease of continuity.
      • Homebrew/brew#16327 (comment)
        • Notes: Blocked, with a link to further context
  • November
    • Homebrew/brew#16262
    • Homebrew/homebrew-core#155716
    • Homebrew/brew#16261
      • Homebrew/brew#16261 (comment)
        • Notes: I was attempting to highlight what I perceived as an issue where a relevant fact appeared to be overlooked, and draw attention back to it.
      • Homebrew/brew#16261 (comment)
        • Notes: My words seemed to have been misinterpreted as having a 'tone' that I never intended to portray in them; and then that conclusion used as a basis to assume I was trying to suggest I know better/etc, which again, was not my intent.
      • Homebrew/brew#16261 (comment)
        • Notes: I attempted to clarify my position, and point out where I believed the issue occurred; while asking for a (I believe) reasonable 'boundary' to not assume that a misinterpretation was my intent. I then attempted to re-focus on the core issue, and attempted to use de-escalating language to try and view the situation from the angle / context I was trying to present it from. I then re-clarified my core intent, and communicated how the interactions made me feel.
      • Homebrew/brew#16261 (comment)
        • Notes: The first part of this feels like my previous attempts at communication / clarity / repair are being disregarded and used as further justification that I am doing wrong; while doubling down on their stance. The second part is a fair comment. The third and fourth parts seem fine.
      • Homebrew/brew#16261 (comment)
        • Notes: Because my previous attempts to communicate more clearly / de-escalate were received poorly and seemed to just be adding to the issues, I tried to 'translate' my words through ChatGPT in a way that might remove the 'tone' that was being perceived in them. Because I value transparency, I explicitly mentioned this fact as a lead in to them. I then continue to try and address what I perceive to be the issues / concerns getting in the way of productive communication, with the hopes that we can resolve them and move forward. I also share my personal state/feelings, and that I will take some time to consider things before making any final decisions.
      • Homebrew/brew#16261 (comment)
        • Notes: This seems to again misunderstand my attempts to communicate better / de-escalate; and confusingly seems to say that I am not doing things that I was explicitly trying to do (eg. consider the feelings of the other human involved, iterate on communication style, etc). It feels like it takes my attempts to de-escalate and uses them as a 'weapon' to escalate further, which felt unfair and confusing.

2019

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