Rather: if I'm looking for the solution for some problem, I don't want to scroll through memes, because I want to be productive, getting things done. Spam/fog in the resolution-thread obviously doesn't help with that; the opposite is the case.
With the increase in adoption of certain technologies (node etc) I have noticed a relationship with the people employed to work with them and their poor level of professionalism in the workplace with regard to their work and how they deal with other people (in the UK) and even how they dress. Similar age groups in other areas don't display these traits.
A number of these people work as contractors as well, so at least it was easy to get rid of them.
Go post memes on the LKML and see what happens
While there are many points in your post that I agree with, we really should stop worrying about how people dress.
If it's a developer sitting behind a computer screen all day long with zero customer contact whatsoever, he really shouldn't be forced to wear a certain dress code just to satisfy someone's standard of professionalism. Such feelings are in similar spirit as "woman should not wear trousers" a few decades ago - there is just no rationale behind it other than conditioning by society.
There is a limit. I'm sure you have one too if you really think about it. Is it tattoos all over the face? What about sandals? Or shorts? Or going bare-feet around the office.
I don't know... It's about people giving me money for work. I don't feel like I can go to work dressed like any given Sunday.
> Go post memes on the LKML and see what happens
I think the seriousness (almost angry tone) in certain communities also is a disservice to attract new members. If I make my first PR in some project, it's easy too feel attacked when the reply is a negative one, albeit strictly professional. If it however has a more light-hearted tone and a bit more sandwiched fun-serious-fun one feels more welcome.
There's a big difference between shooting the shit in your private communications and cluttering up places where people are looking for solutions.
As others have said, I too am not against a light-hearted tone. But when you have a legitimate problem that might be blocking you from doing your work and your only source of information is a GitHub issue then it should go without saying that the information should be dense and compressed and it should absolutely lack memes, yes.
The sheer numbers of users of NPM says that this can happen from time to time and the stability they are providing is nothing other than exceptional.
Otherwise professional conduct mainly comes down to creating an atmosphere of noncommittal distance to deal with difficult personalities. I think being subjected to it for too long should disintegrate any personality, because it is completely unnatural. Hard to imagine people longing for more of that.
"yeah, u know, i could do it better, lol".
Edit: to add that I agree with the idea there is a problem with people making a distinction between work and play contexts.
