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Ask HN: How to say no to a GitHub issue feature request?

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Re: Ask HN: How to say no to a GitHub issue feature request?

#61

Post by nfhshy68 »

robalni wrote: post #35
flibble wrote: post #19

This sounds like a problem you will face many times in the future and therefore you may benefit from finding a solution that will solve for both this request and all similar future requests. For example, instead of writing any customised response, you could write a blog post / make a webpage that explains your approach to these types of request and then simply link to it in a reply. Then every time this comes up you…

> simply paste in “Thank you for your request. Please see [URL]”. I think this can make people feel like you don't understand them and maybe make them angry. It feels like an automatic response you would post when you haven't even read the request. I think you should at least clearly say that you don't want the requested feature in the response, then you can link to the page.

That sounds like a them problem.

"Pull requests welcome" if you want the feature. "Fork off" if you don't.

Re: Ask HN: How to say no to a GitHub issue feature request?

#65

Post by serial_dev »

gala8y wrote: post #48
serial_dev wrote: post #36

You can just politely say no. That's it, don't feel obligated to do anything else (and for that matter, even this is optional). I don't recommend you say f off or be hostile, it's not worth the trouble, be gracious and kind, but don't be afraid to be firm and establish your boundaries. If he keeps bugging you, simply ignore him or block him if needed. There are lots of entitled people on the internet, it's up to you…

> You can just politely say no. To emphasize even more, you do not need to explain yourself at all, in any way. You may want provide your reasons / rationale, but you don't have to (see other comments stating that as well).

Absolutely.

Another answer I don't recommend is "PR welcome". Accepting some random person's feature then getting it merged comes with lots of costs, from the one time cost of code reviews to the ongoing cost of maintaining the feature.

Only say "PR welcome" if it is really welcome.

Re: Ask HN: How to say no to a GitHub issue feature request?

#66

Post by kkirsche »

junon wrote: post #46

Hi, sorry but this is simply not something I'm interested in implementing. Further, please remember that GitHub maintainers do this for free, on their own time. Thanks! --- Anything more than that, block and move on. I've been on GH for 10 years or so and it's gotten really bad in the last few regarding pushy dickheads like this. You owe nothing to them, and if they can't behave within the OSS ecosystem then they're…

As someone who makes lots of merge requests, please don’t add the further statement. In my experience while it’s well intentioned, it (understandably) frustrates contributors because it’s making an assumption that they aren’t valuing your time, which you don’t know.

Just my 2¢, at the end of the day do what feels best for you, but you may drive away some contributors.

Re: Ask HN: How to say no to a GitHub issue feature request?

#67

Post by II2II »

gala8y wrote: post #48
serial_dev wrote: post #36

You can just politely say no. That's it, don't feel obligated to do anything else (and for that matter, even this is optional). I don't recommend you say f off or be hostile, it's not worth the trouble, be gracious and kind, but don't be afraid to be firm and establish your boundaries. If he keeps bugging you, simply ignore him or block him if needed. There are lots of entitled people on the internet, it's up to you…

> You can just politely say no. To emphasize even more, you do not need to explain yourself at all, in any way. You may want provide your reasons / rationale, but you don't have to (see other comments stating that as well).

> To emphasize even more, you do not need to explain yourself at all, in any way.

I would suggest that you should not explain yourself in any way. Chances are they would just view that as an open door to argue their point and they will try to use your words against you.

A polite no is still a no. Some people just need time to realize that.

Re: Ask HN: How to say no to a GitHub issue feature request?

#69

Post by zimbatm »

The best thing to do is to decide where your boundaries are, and then tell them.

I was in your position many times. I was so frustrated to feel like the other person was entitled to my time. Then I had to fight my urges to tell them to fuck off, wasting even more time and energy in the process. Even if I replied, it wasn't helpful to anybody if I was being polite but passive-aggressive.

Then I realized that it was a huge misunderstanding. How can people know what my limits are if I don't tell them? We don't all share the same sensibilities and background. Instead of getting upset, it's possible to tell people and move on. 99% of the time people understand and respect that.

Since then, I adopt the following classification:

1. Is the feature interesting to me? Let them know

2. If not, would I accept a PR for it? Let them know, with also some criteria for inclusion. No half-baked attempts please.

That's it.

One surprising thing I discovered is that I wasn't entirely clear where my limits were. Going through that process over and over again helped me figure that out. And become better at communicating clearly.

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