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by rorykoehler 2626 days ago
Add a don't be a dick clause to the license and revoke the keys of anyone who is.
1 comments

That can be cathartic, but normalizing hostility towards users will ultimately hurt both you and your project. There are no winners in this context once you decide to draw your weapon.
On the other hand, letting people use the project forums to vent, or to attack others users, or attempting to hoard the devs' attention, will create its own set of problems.

I'd say 1 or 2 polite warnings are due (everyone can have a bad day). If the misbehavior continues, take out the banhammer. Use it judiciously but decisively.

It's not about winning or losing, it's about setting healthy boundaries. No one owes anyone anything but if you are giving the fruits of your hard work away for free you get to set the rules. I have fired clients who were being dicks before and they were paying me good money. This is no different.
Normalizing hostility towards devs is already harmful. Why not take steps to reverse that?
That can be cathartic, but normalizing hostility towards users will ultimately hurt both you and your project.

Does it? In ways that are worse than what the devs are dealing with as mentioned in the OP?

That sounds like a pretty big assumption to me.