To all my friends ...

[sozzled]

An open letter to the Joomla! community:

To all the friends I have made over the years, it has been a delight to have discussed things with you. This forum has been my favourite hobby.

To those I've helped, it is gratifying that I have been able to assist. Where I have not been able to help, it hasn't been for lack of trying.

Unfortunately, however, life behind the the façade of the forum isn't always so pleasant. It's disappointing to think that a couple of people—one or two—haven't appreciated the thousands of hours (and the millions of words) that I've written. Sadly, such is their misery and I'll leave them to wallow in it. It is with the deepest regret—owing to personal circumstances that I cannot discuss publicly—I have been forced to take an extended leave of absence from the forum.

So, again, thank you to those who have offered me their help and support.

[mandville]

there will be a seat warmed up for you and a decent chilled glass.

[smartersign]

found your posts helpful.. see you when you get back

[Pavel-ww]

Hi @sozzled. We will wait for your return. I hope not long

[ChrisASCA]

I'm sad about this.

Sozzled has been an absolute legend to the Joomla community for many years.
I've never really come across any major controversy or upsetting posts and conversations involving them too.
I've only ever experienced superb help and interest to be honest and then some good debate and expressing of opinions, ideas and viewpoints.

I am worried that the Joomla community must reflect the world we want instead of the world we may already have.

Different opinions, viewpoints, strategies and beliefs IS what makes the world work better.
If everyone was the same as me, then I wouldn't be the very best person in it would I?
There are some real characters with some real colourful beliefs on here and there are also others who fall in between those personality traits BUT we should ALL be allowed to discuss and engage with each other as adults surely.

If i was to give my help on as many threads as Sozzled has it wouldn't have helped hardly anyone as I think I know diddlysquat compared to the big names but reading the differences of opinions has allowed me to form my own over the years and try out suggestions of help and learn my own things too.

You can learn from anyone! Even if what you learn is not to do what someone said to do.

These are choices, a little similar but different to opinions.

As adults we can hear opinions and then make choices.

You can learn from someone by doing the polar opposite of what they said sometimes and that is OK.

I know which is the best football team in the whole world but millions of people seem to still support other ones for some weird reason and some play my team year after year, others never do but we all should have a whole heap of fun doing it.

Unbelievably some idiots think their football team is so much better than someone else's that they turn to physical violence and intimidation on occasions just to try and prove their beliefs are the best against those supporters of a different opinion - I mean team.

I know? Can you believe how immature that is? But I've seen it with my own eyes in Europe for the past 30 years.

I do hope the same thing isn't happening with something as humble as an Open Source piece of software to run a bit of content on a web browser. Especially on a volunteer community forum. That would be rather vulgar and disappointing.

If someone like Sozzled feels inclined to leave his favourite hobby after so much time and help, maybe we need to look at ourselves a bit harder with that. Really? After all the years and all the same opinions shared and all the different opinions shared, what the F has gone on recently that has made them want to step back?

I'd love a community where people I don't know, like or understand all interact with me and everyone else in a respectful and more light hearted way. Wouldn't that be something?

As any good geologist knows, we will all be dead soon anyway. Is it really worth winning an opinion competition in the short time we all have?

I'm sad about this

[toivo]

@ChrisASCA, thank you for your compassionate and sensible writing. However, it’s important to remember that, like in football, footy or soccer, this forum has its own set of rules. If players break the rules of the game, they may be penalized. Serious breaches usually result in a warning or even expulsion from the game. Similarly, repeated breaches and arguing and attacking the moderators can have consequences. But let's move forward in a positive spirit!

[ChrisASCA]

Thank you toivo

You are another person who I respect and need to thank so much for all your intellect, contributions, knowledge and work over the years before anything else here. Thank you for the passion and time you put into Joomla and it's community and members such as myself.

I'm in a room of my heroes now when I see the other posters too (mandville & Pavel-ww) and that also includes my fellow apprentice smartersign because it perfectly shows how star numbers can easily engage with each other on this forum. That is the strength of the Joomla community.

I do agree with everything you have said because I hope essentially we are saying the same thing. Certainly wanting the same thing it seems.

Your reply has reminded me of Johnny Cash's A boy named Sue to highlight how there can be a different point of view as to why things happen and you are right with your football analogy on so many levels.

Genius to show the 3 different names of the same sport to make your point clearly. Wide smile of appreciation there. Loved that and perfect thanks.

And of course you are right that no matter what your standing in the game, the same rules must apply to us all.
Sometimes though even the superstars of the game clash with the governing body, show some ill discipline or act out of turn on occasions and do face lengthy suspensions from showing off their talents and to cool off and rethink the bigger picture. I hope this is another instance.

I obviously like voicing my opinion but hopefully not too much in areas where I don't know the facts or where I have no right to pry.

But I do want to say this.
As someone who really benefits from the superstar lineup this community does have and someone who enjoys watching their stars perform day in, day out as it makes my life better, I hope that can be taken into consideration by both parties.

There is a greater good and you are all an important cog in that.

My Legends Dream Team of toivo, mandville, Pavel-ww, Per Yngve Berg, Brian Teeman, WebDongle, AMurray, imanickam, pe7er, PhilTaylor-Prazgod to name nowhere near enough of you all DOES include sozzled though.

I'm pretty sure that the greatest players of all time or the cast of the Great Escape didn't always agree and weren't the best of friends but my oh my do us mortals enjoy seeing them on the same stage doing their thing at the same time!!!

It's a thing of beauty! It really is!

Numerous talented people have overstepped the mark in their fields at times but being able to return was an option that the wider community fanbase (and the individual involved) usually benefits from and loves seeing.

I hope intelligent people on both sides can hold out an open and mature hand of reconciliation over time and agree a pathway back.

I am leaving it at that as I hope i do still know my place in this landscape.

Sorry for the huge speech but it is not often to get the chance to talk directly like this with people I respect from afar and who have helped me so much for so many years without you all knowing it. Your passion has obviously fired mine and my feelings of needing to voice my thoughts.

It is human behaviour to moan and groan about a thing and I am sure all moderators on here have seen their fair share of that human behaviour over the years.

But it is also human nature to praise or recognise the helpful and good. So I would like this to my chance of that.

Thank you toivo and all the other immortals (including sozzled) who do what you do for people like me.

It is noticed, it is respected, appreciated and loved and I hope you all know and see the worth in what you have achieved and what you will achieve moving forward together.

I'm not sad about this

[Madcustard]

I am sorry to hear that the Joomla Forum will not be the same without All of the great volunteers who have made it a valuable resource.

I often checked to see if others had similar issues and found Sozzled's solutions and suggestions to be very helpful,
even if I did not comment on them

I hope to see Sozzled back again soon.

[jovanddd]

living legend!

[guest20230913]

I'm shocked. I'm dumbfounded and I don't know what to say.

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe...

The stars leave, the mediocrities stay to rule. Maybe you'll come back to kunena.org, sozzled?

[sillitoe]

I'm afraid I'm not a frequent visitor to this forum, so I have no idea what actually happened, and of course I totally respect the moderators' decisions. However, I would just like to add that I have found some of Sozzled's posts to be extremely helpful, as have those of others such as Toivo. Chris above mentions football, so I'd just like to add that I hope his "banning" is only a temporary suspension because, otherwise, I am unable to ask him any questions and for him to answer while respecting the forum rules, which is something he seems to want to do. Alan

[noxidsoft]

I'm gobsmacked to learn only this morning that you have been banned, what the heck! I hope you get a good rest mate, perhaps it's a misunderstanding of the Aussie vernacular and the fact we don't like to muck around, but rather speak our minds to get the best possible outcome? Who knows?

Come back soon legend, we need you!