Re: [LAU] Linux Audio podcast. episode002

On Wed, Aug 14, 2013 at 1:00 AM, Louigi Verona <louigi.verona@email-addr-hiddenwrote:

> Hey fellas!
>
> This time talking of getting tired to file bug reports, get the podcasthere:
> http://www.louigiverona.ru/?page=projects&s=writings&t=linux
> &a=linux_podcast
>
>
> Would be interested in what you think!
>
> --
> Louigi Verona
> http://www.louigiverona.ru/
>
> _______________________________________________
> Linux-audio-user mailing list
> Linux-audio-user@email-addr-hidden
> http://lists.linuxaudio.org/listinfo/linux-audio-user
>
>
Wow. OK. Well, let me say a few things from the other perspective. The
point you keep repeating is that youre 'tired of filing bug reports'. Well,
how do you think a developer who spends decades of their lives making
something and giving it away for free, when 90% of the feedback they get is
in the form of complaining? Don't you imagine that that would become far
more tiresome than filling out a bug report every couple of months? If you
consider the time that the developer of the software your using has spent
in order to give it to you FOR FREE, and OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF THEIR
HEARTS--years or decades of their nights and weekends, how does that
compare to the few minutes it takes you to file a report? I say this to put
your grievances in perspective--because it's quite clear that you really
have no idea how petty it sounds to someone who is not currently as enraged
with frustration as you are.

Now, let's talk about that frustration. I know it well. In fact, anyone who
uses software at all knows it well. You single out free software and linux
audio, but believe me, the bugs are by now means limited to that domain.
People are simply more forgiving of things they know they have no hope of
affecting the outcome of (i.e. proprietary software). They live with the
faults and limitations. It's a psychological phenomenon similar to the fact
that you would take good care of a car that you had to save up for for
years vs one that your parents just gave you for free. It's an unfortunate
fact, because it distorts the reality. The reality is that free software in
general has fewer limitations and a much faster response time to issues
than proprietary software. Hell, when you send that bug report to a free
software project, it's likely to be answered BY THE INVENTOR, and
IMMEDIATELY. Do you think OS X users get their problems solved personally
by Steve Jobs?

Anyway, back to that frustration. It's very frustrating when a bug prevents
you from making progress. It's infuriating when a bug causes you to lose
work. I get it. In fact, this is pretty much the reason that I started my
own Linux Audio projects in the first place--I couldn't find anything else
reliable enough and was sick of having my project files trashed. When you
submit a bug report, you're certainly helping--but you're helping other
users and yourself. You're not helping the developer (if they hit the bug
in their use of the software, they'd just fix it). Why would you give up
helping yourself? Would you give up feeding yourself? Are you suicidal?
Would you rather pay $700 for a DAW or whatever? Is it THAT frustrating to
you? No? Just frustrating enough to diminish the work of people who helped
you when you were down, who offered you the fruits of their labor out of
the goodness of their hearts... Why don't you put that frustration to some
positive use? Submit that bug report, or fix the damn thing yourself, or
write your own. Or, god forbid, donate some damn money so that the
developer in question can explain to their wive or girlfriend why they're
sitting in front of the computer for 8 ours on yet another Saturday when
they could be out enjoying the outdoors instead.

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Received on Thu Aug 15 04:15:03 2013