[beezdotcom]

Ridiculing them does not help things, in my opinion, given their stated reasons for leaving.

You replied to post #1 - are you implying the ridicule took place THERE? I don't see it.

As for ridicule, I don't think it ridicule to point out that a big opus and departure reminds me a lot of a long note and a suicide. It's a play for attention, and an attempt to extort guilt from the masses - and possibly a sign of instability. Most people who leave just quietly leave.

[Dog Gone]

No, the ridicule took place later in the thread. While I wasn't close to Poohbah, he made hundreds of excellent posts during his stay here and I'll miss his contribution.

While I'll happily ridicule the newbie opus or the fruitcake opus, I have a different attitude about the oldtimer opus. First, I don't want to wonder what happened to them; why they disappeared. And secondly, it's a little like a funeral and a discussion thread as to whether their reasons were valid.

Is it selfish or egotistical to publish an opus? In most cases, probably. But FR was important to most of them and it's their way of cutting the cord. If they didn't mean something, they'd be completely ignored.