The slowdown wasn’t aimed at anyone or in response to any single thing that anyone said. It’s literally the first time we’ve ever used the feature, and apparently it didn’t work.
This is way off topic now. I’m closing this thread, but you can always open new threads about specific pain points with Julia.
I’d like to add an addendum backing up @mbauman’s decision here. If you do not yourself moderate forums like this you may not appreciate this, but there are very clear patterns in discussions, and to someone who has been around for a while, this one was obviously headed towards becoming heated and unpleasant — Matt slowed it down at just the right time. That mostly worked except that apparently some object to the existence of rules and the application of extremely mild moderation. Which is a valid way to feel: if you don’t like the rules or don’t want moderation, there are lots of places on the internet where you can say and do pretty much whatever you want, but this is not one of them. There is a code of conduct and moderators can slow down or close threads to try to promote a more pleasant and constructive environment. This is done with a fairly light touch. If you disagree with a moderation decision, you can appeal to Julia Stewards, but they aren’t going to do anything about something as minor as a closed thread — no one’s ability to participate in the community is being curtailed, the shape of participation is merely being moderated. If there are specific topics that anyone wants to discuss further, they are absolutely welcome to start new threads to dig deeper. More specific threads are often more constructive and less heated. This feedback has been greatly appreciated and the points raised have been well made and clearly received.