>I have further noted that contributors sometimes (rather ungraciously , it seems to me)publicly chide one another for alleged breaches in the unknown code of decorum.

Scribbler, what you perceive as ungracious chiding may simply be joshing amongst old friends. Remember that some have been here for nearly a year, and others, by sheer volume of posts, have become part of the family really quickly.

Once you have stuck around for a while you will see that, even when in disagreement, nobody is really hostile or mean. This is, by a wide margin, the nicest bulletin board on the net.