Re: PROPOSAL: UISG Menu Line Standardization

[George <jirka 5z com>]

On Mon, Aug 10, 1998 at 08:09:28AM -0700, Chris Jantzen wrote:
> The complete lack of professionalism, general tone, and content of
> this and similar replies on this issue confirms for me the future
> (doom) of free software as we know it. Come on guys, we're not going
> to take over the world with an attitude like this!

yes we are ... we got this far with this attitude ... and so far we have
lots of docs ...

if the coder doesn't want to do docs .. most likely someone else will

forcing anything on anybody never helped

>  > because he loves to code ... he doesn't care if joe user uses the software
>  > .. he usually cares that the software works ... 
> 
> Totally wrong. If there are no users to boost the coders ego, the
> program falls of the face of the map after he finds a better tool or
> gives up interest. I'm a coder: it's all about ego-trip, man...

hmm ... you must have been reading up too much of ESR ... he's got that
attitude ... but I bet a lot of coders don't ...

for example for a year I spent writing AI/GA code that I never released ...
(most of it got deleted already) ... I didn't want a tun of emails from people
trying to use it and failing ... all I wanted was to practice programming
and see what different algorithms work ... I didn't write any of it as
something releasable (well I did release some of it, but didn't snounce it
really anywhere .. so that people wouldn't use it much)

yes there is an ego thing as well ... but it's hardly all about that ...

for the most part for me .. it's getting some cool program done ... wheather
it's at work where either nobody or just a few people will ever get to use
it ... or it's for gnome ... or just some idea I had and had to try out ...

>  > GNOME is a free software project ... therefore it can't REQUIRE anything ...
>  > nobody owns gnome .. nobody will go broke should it not succeed ...
> 
> Which, again, it won't with attitudes like these...

yes it will .. BECAUSE of attitude like this ... 

people that code because they love coding .. code far better then people
that want to get a product out quickly ... not caring if it's pretty or
not .... which you would call professional ... to me ... professional 
coding is sloppy coding most the time ... not good ...

free software always strived for technical excellence rather then quickly
shipped easy to use product ...

however ... all those things WILL (I believe) come to gnome as a byproduct
.... someone will write docs ... people will comment on interface usability
... people will send patches ... that's the way it works ... the original
coder isn't required to do squat ... but if someone wants something he has
to do it ... if you want documentation ... you write it ...

George

-- 
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George Lebl <jirka@5z.com> http://www.5z.com/jirka/
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