Re: Bug Database?

[Miles Bader]

Frank Schmitt <address@hidden> 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