On 3/17/2013 3:10 PM, David Benfell wrote:
I don't know if the "[original poster] is fully familiar with the open
source model" or not, but I would save the rest of this response as a
gem. The formulaic response, which I have seen again and again in the
over ten years I've been working with open source software, really
assumes that all users are programmers--or should be programmers--and
are responsible for submitting fixes when something is wrong.
Because what it really says is, if you don't like it, fix it yourself.
Too many times, I've heard this referred to as "freedom." And like
some other notions of freedom advanced in our society, it is only
freedom for a limited class of people.
Imagine this:
You live near a mechanic. He has an extra car that he got from the junk
yard and fixed up. It works fairly well and you need a car so he
generously gives it to you for free. After a time, something breaks.
What do you do?
If you are mechanically inclined you can fix it yourself - that is, if
you are part of that limited class of people known as mechanics.
If not, you can go back to the original mechanic or maybe a completely
different mechanic. However, if you scream at him, call him names, tell
him the car is total garbage that was never fixed right in the first
place, then demand he fix it, how do you think he would respond?
It is much better to ask politely.
Everything you say above is perfectly valid. However, I have been part
of quite a few open source projects and this list has much more than its
share of trolls and flame wars. Why is that? A little civility goes a
long way, especially if you are not part of the "limited class of
people" and are asking for their help with something that you were given
for free to begin with.
Dem
