Re:Is it wrong to demand features in open-source projects?
by hinkley on Friday February 05, 2021 @12:13PM
(#26038581)
OSS is free like attending a party is free. It works as long as they are finite. It’s a social activity, not a dumping ground for getting rid of something you worked on.
We could have 500 open source programming languages but we don’t because these projects all compete for headspace, so most of them never get any “attendance” to speak of. Which means my entry to the arena affects yours. Just like if I threw a party on Friday knowing your birthday is Sunday. I’m not just putting it out there. There are consequences.
I can demand that you have drinks and snacks at a party. And a functioning toilet. There are basic minimums of hospitality that we expect of a host. These standards are not always met by FOSS maintainers, and I bristle when they feel entitled to our respect but not our criticism. If you don’t meet certain expectations, people will talk, and nobody will be surprised that people talk.
I can’t demand that you have Grape Crush and Flaming Cheetos. That’s rude, and if I insist on having very specific things then I can kindly fuck off and throw my own party.
We could have 500 open source programming languages but we don’t because these projects all compete for headspace, so most of them never get any “attendance” to speak of. Which means my entry to the arena affects yours. Just like if I threw a party on Friday knowing your birthday is Sunday. I’m not just putting it out there. There are consequences.
I can demand that you have drinks and snacks at a party. And a functioning toilet. There are basic minimums of hospitality that we expect of a host. These standards are not always met by FOSS maintainers, and I bristle when they feel entitled to our respect but not our criticism. If you don’t meet certain expectations, people will talk, and nobody will be surprised that people talk.
I can’t demand that you have Grape Crush and Flaming Cheetos. That’s rude, and if I insist on having very specific things then I can kindly fuck off and throw my own party.