From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Miles Bader Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Bug Database? Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2006 10:08:04 +0900 Message-ID: <871wp24gsr.fsf@catnip.gol.com> References: <17717.20433.183356.106695@kahikatea.snap.net.nz> <17718.15996.727727.91417@kahikatea.snap.net.nz> <17719.20082.610297.834477@kahikatea.snap.net.nz> <17719.55331.655678.827341@kahikatea.snap.net.nz> <17720.36925.992861.58347@kahikatea.snap.net.nz> Reply-To: Miles Bader NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1161392931 7734 80.91.229.2 (21 Oct 2006 01:08:51 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2006 01:08:51 +0000 (UTC) Cc: Nick Roberts , rms@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat Oct 21 03:08:49 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Gb5Lz-0004iV-Kw for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 21 Oct 2006 03:08:47 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Gb5Lz-0007qi-2X for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 20 Oct 2006 21:08:47 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Gb5Lj-0007kq-Ft for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Oct 2006 21:08:31 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Gb5Lf-0007ez-Ck for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Oct 2006 21:08:31 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Gb5Lf-0007eg-7c for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Oct 2006 21:08:27 -0400 Original-Received: from [203.216.5.72] (helo=smtp02.dentaku.gol.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA:32) (Exim 4.52) id 1Gb5LZ-0005i0-Vx; Fri, 20 Oct 2006 21:08:22 -0400 Original-Received: from 203-216-96-133.dsl.gol.ne.jp ([203.216.96.133] helo=catnip.gol.com) by smtp02.dentaku.gol.com with esmtpa (Dentaku) id 1Gb5LP-0000kP-NH; Sat, 21 Oct 2006 10:08:11 +0900 Original-Received: by catnip.gol.com (Postfix, from userid 1000) id C52CA2F45; Sat, 21 Oct 2006 10:08:05 +0900 (JST) Original-To: Frank Schmitt System-Type: i686-pc-linux-gnu In-Reply-To: (Frank Schmitt's message of "Fri\, 20 Oct 2006 14\:01\:31 +0200") Original-Lines: 39 X-Abuse-Complaints: abuse@gol.com X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:60974 Archived-At: Frank Schmitt writes: > Telling the user base "If you want the software to behave as advertised, > fix it" is both common in free software and bad style as most users just > can't do this. Most free software authors are completely honest about what's going on: They try their best given a limited amount of manpower, and inevitably cannot do everything (it's far easier to think up cool features than implement them). However, because it's free software, users _have the ability_ to help the process along. While not all users have the resources to do so (and it doesn't need to be programming expertise -- e.g. money to hire a programmer will do just as well), this is absolutely liberating as a user. Being honest about the realities of software development is not "bad style." [and they are indeed realities -- the vast majority of commercial software is horribly buggy, but they try their best to hide that fact under layers of glitz and marketing; of course when the software is proprietary, the user has few options.] There is nothing more frustrating for a programmer than using software with an obvious and simple-to-fix problem, but being helpless to actually try and do that fix yourself. Of course things are ten times more frustrating when the company declares that product dead, and ceases all future development! [and these are things that happen _every day_ with commercial software] It's unfortunate that current cultural trends among computer users has emphasized the "use and drool, it's all too complicated for me" attitude among users (because I think the barriers to involvement are mostly cultural). Hopefully free software can help reverse this attitude, even if such change comes slowly. -Miles -- "I distrust a research person who is always obviously busy on a task." --Robert Frosch, VP, GM Research