> Seeing an open source project's reviewer begin with "Why did you do it this way instead of X?" is the the most shocking shutdown I have seen this year.

Thing is, in most cases it's not meant to be nasty at all. Their intent usually is to point out they think there's a better way, and are either trying to say you should do it that way, or are trying to invite you to give your reasons. The problem is they're phrasing it in a manner where there are multiple interpretations to their intent.

Given that commenters responded negatively to it - beyond what I had originally meant when I highlighted it - makes it a good example of how not to communicate.