On 6/13/07, Jonathan Hutchins hutchins@tarcanfel.org wrote:
On Wednesday 13 June 2007 05:00:03 pm Jared wrote:
We must labor hard to preserve the attitude of gratitude which is the only payment required of those who put in the hours coding free software.
Bull.
If it's crap software, we have an obligation to say so. If it has problems, we are not obliged to be able to completely recode the program, nor do we need to fork the project in order to be able to point out wrong-headed policies.
GOOD software developers are eager to get feedback from people who have the perspective of not being so buried in the code they can't see basic things wrong with the UI, or an obvious function that's been overlooked because the coder always uses vi.
Providing feedback is a legitimate contribution to software development. No, we need not grovel at the coder's feet and worship his code droppings because he has been generous enough to bestow them on us. It takes a community to develop good software.
Lighten up a bit eh?
I have been getting rather amused at your perceived need for sarcasm. It's nice to be on a list where free expression is allowed, yet being able to does not always equate to needing to. Overall you did make some REALLY good points. But sadly, the sarcasm makes many folks view see only the dig and not the constructive. I really do agree with you on the Basic UI and function documentation issues. I think those 2 areas are the greatest return for least effort zone.
Oren