> but some communities just have people with a rough way of dealing with others, e.g. drill sergeants in the Marines.
This isn't an arbitrary cultural choice. Drill instructors are hard-asses because they are training people to be able to perform professionally in life-or-death situations and sacrifice their own basic self preservation instincts out of loyalty. That kind of training requires some pretty hardcore psychology.
True. But, open-source projects are in a bit of a pickle when it comes to tools. People always cry out for "professionalism" which I think is nonsense. In a "professional" environment, there are FAR more carrots and sticks, far more tools. There is training, promotions (carrot) and the risk of being fired (stick) and a lot of subtle tools in therebetween.
This isn't an arbitrary cultural choice. Drill instructors are hard-asses because they are training people to be able to perform professionally in life-or-death situations and sacrifice their own basic self preservation instincts out of loyalty. That kind of training requires some pretty hardcore psychology.