Not every anti-anti-mono voter is a shill

This is not to say, of course, that none of them are, but there are some who are merely sick and tired of the controversy and vitriol flying around.

I don't necessarily like Mono, politically speaking, and I don't hate it with every fiber of my being. I'm quite willing to vote up stories critical of Mono and Microsoft's dealings with it.

What I do *not* want to vote up is the attitude that Novell, de Icaza, and anyone else who approves of Mono is automatically a shill or is so infested by the MS taint that they are no longer capable of doing any good.

I usually just ignore BoycottNovell stories, not because they're wrong (indeed, they often have important points to make) but because I disapprove of their tone and, to some extent, their mindset. Others feel more strongly about this and aren't content to simply ignore.

I think there's a fair bit of zeal and idealism turned nasty on both sides. Yes, freedom needs to be protected. Yes, troubled Free software projects can be worth fighting for. It would be nice, however, if both sides could engage in cool-headed discussion without roasting the other and automatically presuming malicious intent.