Don't be that open-source user, don't be me
jacobtomlinson.dev
Don't be that open-source user, don't be me
1–10 of 173 posts
Re: Don't be that open-source user, don't be me
#2This is a thoughtful and important article for anyone who uses or creates open-source software, which is everyone.
But, if we follow this advice? If some more thoughtful and considerate users kindly reduce their input into support conversations to avoid overwhelming developers, doesn't this mean that support conversations will become dominated by users who are not thoughtful and considerate?
Re: Don't be that open-source user, don't be me
#3the other part: https://polite.technology/preview
Re: Don't be that open-source user, don't be me
#4[deleted]
Re: Don't be that open-source user, don't be me
#5As an open source maintainer[1], the etiquette tips are great. However, I think +1 and status check comments are ok in certain situations where the issue might have been forgotten or it's a high priority issue.
I also like when someone reminds me they're blocked by an issue. It helps me prioritize fixing bugs so I work on things actually affecting people instead of things nobody is using. Just be polite and your comments are welcome.
Re: Don't be that open-source user, don't be me
#6This is a thoughtful and important article for anyone who uses or creates open-source software, which is everyone. But, if we follow this advice? If some more thoughtful and considerate users kindly reduce their input into support conversations to avoid overwhelming developers, doesn't this mean that support conversations will become dominated by users who are not thoughtful and considerate?
The point is not reducing input per se, but reducing entitled input that doesn't give back anything to the community.
Re: Don't be that open-source user, don't be me
#7I can partially agree but we live in a day and age where asking someone their name may be considered offensive. I think there is a lot more value in teaching people self-worth and to not be so easily offended by people asking questions and then they run sway and hide and say that you hurt their feelings by asking them.
A simple disclaimer that says they don't have any obligation, or heck most open source licenses indicate that. Who cares it people +1 something. If open source developers want to focus on perfecting their code to be a haiku there is nothing wrong with that.
However, if they don't get around to implementing important features or merging PRs then they shouldn't be surprised nor offended when people abandon their projects either.
Sometimes people can be demanding and rude, but the key to get anything accomplished is learning how to interact and deal with people. If you can't handle people asking questions or +1 or +2'ing your public GitHub issues then you're probably not cut out for software development even as someone who is an unpaid open source contributor.
Re: Don't be that open-source user, don't be me
#8Regarding adding +1 to issues - rather than doing this, up-vote the issue on GitHub (thumb up). This can be useful to maintainers because they can sort by thumb up and see the most popular ones.
Adding a +1 comment really does nothing - it's just one more useless notifications for everyone, and it won't allow filtering or sorting issues. People might even unwatch the issue because of this and thus missing useful comments.
Re: Don't be that open-source user, don't be me
#9> As time went on the wording of the +1s got stronger
I think a +1 (as a thumbs up reaction, or similar) can’t be a bad thing. Comments that turn more passive/agressive (or just agressive) most certainly can. I don’t think the later should be mixed up with the former.
Re: Don't be that open-source user, don't be me
#10I kinda blame Github for all this.
In the past, there was just a bit of friction before filing a bug or dropping a comment on a project.
You had to sign up for bugzilla. You had to sign up for the mailing list. Something. Anything.
It was just enough friction that you had to want to post that comment or file that bug. You weren't going to waste your time just to be a shit.
With everything on Github, it's simply too easy to quickly slap a thoughtless comment on a project (guilty as charged--sadly).
I know that if I were releasing a project today, I would make sure to use anything other than Github.