On 03/22/2011 12:16 PM, Joe Zeff wrote:
That, alas, all depends on the devs and their attitude. I use the
Pan
newsreader. The dev is a member of the support mailing list and listens
to the concerns of the users. Sometimes it's not practical for him to
change something, but when that happens, he explains why. He also makes
it clear that if you're able to work up a patch that does what you want
he'll be glad to look at it and fold it in if it doesn't cause other
problems. Alas, he's pretty burned out on the project and looking to
pass the torch.
Well, no one wants to be burned out! That's the problem! I can't imagine
how Lennart Poettering has any sanity left, after all the
pulseaudio+systemd flaming he's had to endure as a result of pushing the
software envelope.
Others need to step up and help with support. I try to do that with
gThumb, by following various forums and bugzillas. My code quality is
embarrassing compared to that of the main gThumb developer, but my
support, triaging, and documentation efforts are superior. FOSS only
moves ahead if people volunteer and make things happen, rather than just
complain...
Compare that to the Gnome devs who avoid the help forum
for their project like the plague,
I was totally unaware of those forums. (You mean
http://gnomesupport.org/forums/, right?) Better to regard those as
self-help forums, rather than expecting/demanding developer support.
Your expectations of support from developers who you've never paid a
cent to are a little unreasonable. (Some of the devs are paid by others,
like RH. A good portion are unpaid volunteers. Keep that in mind.)
Again, please don't take this as an attack. Take it as an invitation to
get more involved with the projects that interest you! There are lots of
ways for people to contribute, even if they can't provide patches.
- Mike