I have an open source script for a specific site (I'm trying not to call anything by name here) that I and a few other developers recently moved to GitHub. We've gotten several new developers since we moved to the new system, including one very active one in particular. However, this active one has started changing a lot of the project.
First of all, he deleted our versioning system (not like Git, but like that — we called it versions v4.1.16) and said it would be better to simply push the code to the site when we think it's ready. Now there's no centralized place to put release notes, which has gotten annoying.
The thing that has gotten me just about ready to pack my bags and go was the push script. Another developer on the project wrote a simple Python-based push script. Since we keep multiple versions of the script online in various places, I began coding a larger Java program with a graphical interface that will replace the Python script. I went on IRC to notify everyone about it, and I got a very annoying response from the programmer saying that the old Python-based script can do everything mine can do and is so much more lightweight (he also commented about the fact that he thought Python was better than Java and so on). I looked over the code for the old push script and saw that none of the features he said existed were there.
So now I want to know what to do. I've spent a lot of my time on this project, so I don't want to just get up and leave, but I'm finding it hard to work with this new developer. On the flip side, he is now the #1 committer on the project, with even more commits than the lead developer. I'm not really sure what to do about this. Has anybody else experienced this problem? If so, what did you do?
UPDATE 1: I have disabled everyone's commit access and I am requesting people go through pull requests. I also proposed several measures to fix the other issues. Everyone else hasn't shown any support for it. The troublesome dev has simply said that people who don't follow the "commit action" closely can think that the project is disorganized when it really isn't. I obviously don't agree with this, so I am seriously contemplating resigning from the project.
UPDATE 2: The lead developer began ranting about the fact that one of my commits supposedly deleted three newlines in the code (the revert commit showed up just after I posted the discussion, and doesn't even reference my "commit"), and then the two of them began discussing whether to revoke my commit access. So, I have done the logical thing and left the project. Thanks for your help with this everyone!
Best Answer
You can quit. Not the most constructive thing to do, but sometimes it's the only option. If you do, don't sit around and moan about how you had to give it up, take that energy and put it straight into something else - 'move on' in other words.
You can fork it. There's no reason why you have to work with anyone. Fork, improve the code and let the others continue to have a little ego-fest of their own. Your new project will simply compete with the old and its up to you whether you make a success of it, or the old one beats you in terms of users and features.
You can engage with the rest of the development team on the project to voice your concerns. Don't make it personal, but make out that you're unhappy with code churn, or lack of established quality processes, or unhappy that the new decisions are just pushed out without agreement from everyone. You'll either be told that nothing's wrong enough to change, or you'll get a few others agreeing with you that the team needs to fix things up. That might end up with the disruptive guy losing his commit access. Maybe you'll all agree that some of the changes are not improvements and the project needs to be reverted. (This latter option is the most likely outcome, unless it turns into a massive argument of entrenched opinions.)
It can be difficult when someone comes along and changes the safe and comfy routines you've become used to, but it could be said that having someone come along and shake up the old, cozy practices are good things in themselves.