Jon Pretty

Occasionally people have done things which have made me feel genuinely appreciated, and it's at once touching, humbling and encouraging, while each time taking me completely by surprise.

@ValentinKasas did it at @scalarconf. @Jorge__Galindo did it at @lambda_conf. @edmund_noble, @rolandkuhn and others made gestures at the end of @scalaworldconf. And there are many more, in many different ways, on numerous occasions. I notice each time, and won't ever forget it.

Showing appreciation to others, at all levels, in any community is one of the best things anyone can do to nurture a friendly, welcoming, encouraging, charitable and successful environment for everyone in that community.

The Scala community is the one I know best, and it is not without its problems, much like the language itself, but it's full of truly generous and kind people who I really believe want to make the world a better place, and they each have their own ideas about how best to do that.

But the intent is important, too. Some people thought what I said after @scalaworldconf last year was wrong, and criticised or even blocked me for it. And it hurts, a little—I can't pretend it doesn't—but we are, and should remain, a community of many diverse ideas. Encourage it!