megadog3

Counterpoint: The MVP is usually what ends up in production. If your code is a heap of garbage but chocolate-coated on the outside, you're gonna impress management and they'll want to push it live asap. Then the issues start exploding.

  "I actually like having visible directories, versus having to figure out where in /usr/share or /usr/local/ or ~/.local or /var an installer chose to sneak their files in."

You seem to be mixing together two concepts here:

1. The files created by the installer, which are handled by the package manager. I can consult my package manager for files created by a specific package: pacman -Ql package_name.

2. The files created after installation (user preferences, plugins). The program should follow the XDG specification.

> Yes, they aren't hurting anyone, and yes they're following their passion

Good, you're able to explain why it shouldn't bother you. The next question is why does it bother you? Any explanations from your side?

"boosting of alternatives"

It's called benchmarking and it's part of presenting a tool. You should be able to explain what your tool has to offer over the alternatives.

I call this the ghost method, because you look like a ghost with your arms through the inverted duvet cover.