[popalop]

That's a very valid approach.

OpenBSD has been like this since it's very turbulent beginnings. For better or worse they prefer it this way (and it's bolstered by the lists having a famously high signal to noise ratio).

For a team of their size with the resources available to them they've achived a huge amount of success.

(Debates about whether they'd have larger success if they did a bit more of what they would call hand holding are also valid.)

[kbenson]

Maybe the signal to noise ratio has gotten better, or maybe my recollection is off, but I remember an excessive amount of bikeshedding circa 2006/2007 when I was reading it heavily. I've always been highly impressed with the product, but the mailing lists seem be unproductive, possibly counterproductive, in some instances, IMHO.