iGawyn's Journal: Smoothwall

After reading about the Smoothwall firewall on the /. post, I decided that, even though a lot of people made Dick Morrell out to be a major dickhead, it was really wierd for the head of the company that makes a firewall to be such an asshole.  So I went looking for smoothwall's IRC channel, and here's the log.

Session Start (adams.openprojects.net:#smoothwall): Thu Jan 10 08:16:40 2002
[08:16] *** Now talking in #smoothwall.
*** Topic of #smoothwall: try #smoothwall on irc.smoothwall.org
*** Set by neuro_ 731 minutes ago
*** Users on #smoothwall: iGawyn @neuro_
*** End of /NAMES list.
*** Mode for channel #smoothwall is "+mtn"
*** Channel #smoothwall was created at Wed Jan 09 18:06:24 2002
[08:16] *** Join to #smoothwall completed in 0 seconds.
Session Close (#smoothwall): Thu Jan 10 08:16:52 2002

Session Start (uk0.irc.smoothwall.org:#smoothwall): Thu Jan 10 08:19:39 2002
[08:19] *** Now talking in #smoothwall.
*** Topic of #smoothwall: vote for us in the Linux Format Awards 2001 :: (Link: http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/awards/)http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/awards/ :: please don't expect free support if you haven't donated :: (Link: http://redirect.smoothwall.org/donate)http://redirect.smoothwall.org/donate
*** Set by neuro 71 minutes ago
*** Users on #smoothwall: iGawyn guy dickmorrell lw @dang LoneWolf +togtog[watchin_movE] @Aslak +beezly +Tucks +SWoody @MacGyver[work] @HiltonT +Chakara @neuro @Hellcore[zzzz] +HeatherC @dustmite
*** End of /NAMES list.
-ChanServ- Welcome to #smoothwall :: Please do not expect free support if you haven't donated.  (Link: http://redirect.smoothwall.org/donate)http://redirect.smoothwall.org/donate
*** Mode for channel #smoothwall is "+nt"
*** Channel #smoothwall was created at Wed Nov 28 04:58:40 2001
[08:19] *** Join to #smoothwall completed in 0 seconds.
[08:19] <dustmite> or, leading into it:
[08:20] <dustmite> "A mother and her two were terrorised by a naked, dribbling man"
[08:20] <dustmite> +children
[08:21] <dustmite> "It went quiet again, so I left the door, opened the bedroom window, and threw my son out"
[08:30] <iGawyn> If you withhold tech support until a user donates money to you, how exactly is it "free support"?  It's basically charging a flat rate for any future tech support.  Most linux applications (or distros) will give you all the free tech support you want without asking anything in return.
[08:30] <dickmorrell> iGawyn: TAKE YOUR HEAD OUT YOUR ARSE
[08:30] <dickmorrell> will ask you nicely
[08:30] <dickmorrell> once
[08:30] <dickmorrell> then you'll be ejected
[08:30] <dickmorrell> do you understand
[08:31] <dickmorrell> this project COSTS money
[08:31] <dickmorrell> BIG money
[08:31] <dickmorrell> less than 1% donate
[08:31] <dickmorrell> who use
[08:31] <dickmorrell> work it out
[08:31] <dickmorrell> "if" you dont donate
[08:31] <dickmorrell> you're a freeloader
[08:31] <dickmorrell> and dont ask for support you muppet
[08:31] <dickmorrell> and as for your information
[08:31] <dickmorrell> the panel of judges says
[08:31] <dickmorrell> WRONG
[08:31] <dickmorrell> Redhat charge
[08:32] <dickmorrell> Suse ALWAYS charge
[08:32] <dickmorrell> Mandrake wouldnt know how to
[08:32] <dickmorrell> Redmond Charge
[08:32] <dickmorrell> Trustix charge
[08:32] <dickmorrell> fuckwit
[08:32] <iGawyn> If you don't like freeloaders, then don't release your product for free.  And I'm not asking for support, I don't even use it.  I was curious, as I was considering using it, for my new OpenBSD box that I'm building.
[08:32] <dickmorrell> good luck
[08:32] <dickmorrell> remembre
[08:32] <dickmorrell> power lead dude
[08:32] <iGawyn> And Redhat/SuSe/Redmond/Trustix is not everyone out there.
[08:32] <dickmorrell> it goes IN your mouth
[08:33] <dickmorrell> now dude but they're the only ones charging
[08:33] <dickmorrell> and making revenue
[08:33] <dickmorrell> the rest are pimples on their arse
[08:33] <dickmorrell> but you're a BSD user so why the fuck are you here ?
[08:33] *** Mode change "+o dickmorrell" for channel #smoothwall by neuro
[08:33] <dickmorrell> by the power vested in me
[08:33] <dickmorrell> yada yada
[08:33] <dickmorrell> yada
[08:33] <dickmorrell> yada
[08:33] <dickmorrell> yada
[08:33] *** Mode change "+b *!*[e-mail]" for channel #smoothwall by dickmorrell
[08:33] *** dickmorrell has left #smoothwall
Session Close (#smoothwall): Thu Jan 10 08:33:49 2002

After this, he proceeded to /msg flame, swearing at me at great length, saying that I was the sort of "fucking muppet" who was the downfall of Open Source, refusing to pay for anything, etc.  As I told him in the /msg chat, if I like software, I'll donate to the creators, but I'd like some support first.  Which led to more cursing.  I forgot to send myself that log file, but I'll have it up tomorrow from work.

EDIT:
At the time, I didn't realize that Smoothwall was a standalone firewall solution, which in retrospect made my comment about OpenBSD seem wierd, but ah well.  Even with that misconception of mine, I think the point gets across rather well.

Yikes, sounds familiar.

[TellarHK]

In a way, I'm glad -and- bothered to see that I wasn't the only one Dick treated like this. Thanks for posting the log.

This person has a really bad reputation

[Kiwi]

To the smoothwall developer: Stop being rude on IRC. I have, until now, never heard of the smoothwall product, but all I am hearing about it is:

1. It is insecure
2. The leader of the smoothwall project acts in a very rude and unprofessional manner.

This is not a good impression to have.

At least the smoothwall person is not threatening lawsuits.

- Sam