[mcpackieh]

His followup email linked by the OP is completely over the line, but I don't think this github post was objectionable. (Nor was the "pay me" response objectionable.)

> "Do you have a target date for the next release?"

Simply asking for such a thing isn't objectionable, he's not demanding it.

> "I'm trying to formulate our case for waiting, but need some kind of target date."

The way this is phrased, the "need" is something others are requiring of him, not something he is requiring from the mitmproxy developer. In this comment, he's making a request and explaining his commercial and personal motivation for his request. There wasn't any problem here until the guy came back with an email throwing around words like extortion.

[hibbelig]

I’m not a native speaker but the way I read it is that FrugalGuy needs some kind of target date. So FrugalGuy is asking mhils for a target date. Which is the opposite of what you’re saying.

[mcpackieh]

FrugalGuy asks (not demands) a target date, and explains that he needs one. It's a request with explanatory motive.

"Can you loan me some money, I need to pay rent."

vs

"I need you to loan me money, because I need to pay rent."

[account42]

More like "I've been subletting the appartment you have been providing to me for free and now my tenants are complaining that the company that made the paint also made lead paint. Can you please repaint all the walls even though you already checked that your building didn't use any of the lead paint so that I can continue to profit off of your house without paying you anything, kthx."

The original comment was already at the very least, absolutely tone deaf.

[dwaltrip]

This such a good example of why communication is hard.

You’ve made the distinction pretty clear, but often times it isn’t so easy to see or it can get muddled.