[zepto]

I think you have made this up.

I can't see anywhere in the guidelines where there is any rule about not posting anything off-site relating to HN, or not identifying members of the community.

There isn't even a rule against what you are choosing to label a 'personal attack', but looks reasonably civil to me.

Even if there were such a rule, attempting to silence dissent outside the communities own spaces is behavior typical of a cult or authoritarian regime. A healthy community isn't afraid of people thinking and saying things that some of its members don't like.

[busterarm]

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10906242

I'm not saying silence dissent outside HN. People are free to post on their blogs whatever they want. If they are making a personal attack against someone on HN on their personal blog, the link to that blog post should be blocked from this site and the user absolutely warned/banned if they themselves share it.

[zepto]

How do you know it's an attack and not just a statement of fact?

[busterarm]

I don't think whether it's an attack or not has much to do with the factual basis of a private disagreement that they had 4 years ago and how that speaks to patio11's character or the quality of his advice now.

Not that I'm sticking up for Patrick. I frequently find myself in (often silent) disagreement with him, but the post was extremely flimsy to me and not much more than an offsite meta-discussion that contributes neither to the original discussion nor this community. I flagged the link but since it remains I think this is worth discussing.

[zepto]

If it's not an attack then everything you've said on this thread is invalidated.

You may not be sticking up for Patrick, but you are sticking up for something. In the absence of an attack, it's unclear what.

[busterarm]

It's absolutely an attack.

[zepto]

What makes it an attack? If what it says is true, it sounds like Patrick also engaged in an attack. Why isn't he so vehemently sanctioned?

[dragonwriter]

Its an attack whether or not its a statement of fact.

[zepto]

What makes it an attack?