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Eero Tamminen wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:48118D93.3000000@nokia.com" type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Hi,
Once again talking about the hobby developer...
ext Jac Kersing wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">However for a developer, when the software you release becomes a success
and is used by a fair amount of users there is no way to keep up with
all the messages generated. Reading and answering messages in mail and
interacting on forums consumes most if not all the time available. Then
development stalls and no bugs get fixed. A developer simply has a
limitted amount of time available and needs to make choices.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
For example when your spouse is once again commenting on your "other,
non-paid job" and how it takes time away from your kids, you might not
have that much patience with users demands which are unreasonable (to
you). If you need to select between your kid vs. a rude user,
the decision is really a no-brainer.
- Eero</pre>
</blockquote>
There are a couple of issues here regarding "hobby developers".<br>
<br>
1. It's becoming clear that part of the problem is that software is
being released as public release or even "stable beta" that is really
very much alpha. If you're releasing software that is riddled with bugs
(or simply insufficient functionality) to a wide audience then yes,
you're going to get a lot of questions and complaints. The answer is to
keep it quiet until it's ready for the average (clueless) end-user.<br>
<br>
2. If it's just a hobby, why are you releasing your software to the
public? If you're only doing it for yourself, then keep it to yourself.
If you're doing it for others, then you have to accept the fact that
they may find serious problems or find that it lacks functionality that
is critically important to them.<br>
<br>
And yes, anyone who tries your software most certainly *is* doing you a
favor, *especially* if they find a problem of any sort. You either want
others to benefit from your work, or you don't. If you don't, then
don't make it available. If you do, then every single person who tries
it is spreading the word. If the software works well and meets their
needs, then they'll spread the word and the user base will grow. If the
software has problems or significant limitations, but they were well
treated and got the help they needed, then they will still spread
positive word and the user base will grow. If they ask a question or
present an account of a problem and get treated poorly (or ignored),
they will either not tell anybody else about it or will spread negative
word, and the user base will grow very little or not at all and your
feedback will dry up.<br>
<br>
It's up to you.<br>
<br>
As I've made it abundantly clear, Linux is still a long way from
meeting all my needs. And yet, here I am, doing my best to do
everything possible within Linux. It is *not* easy. In fact is is very
hard. If I wanted easy, I would just stick with Windows, put more money
in Micro$oft's - and other closed-source companies' - pockets, and
never have the inconvenience of booting into another OS or have a very
significant amount of hard drive space taken up by that other OS. Sure,
there would be the occasional crash or problem, but in general things
in Windows just work.<br>
<br>
So why am I spending way too much of my time learning and dealing with
the problems and inadequacies of Linux?<br>
<br>
Because I believe in the concept, and I believe in the goals. I'm
trying to get to the point where I can evangelize others to the cause.
I want to do whatever I can, and am stretching my limited skills and
learning new things every day, in order to further the cause in any way
that I can. Not because it's easy, convenient or makes my life any
easier. Maybe someday I'll reach the point of being a developer myself,
and maybe a won't. But one thing I will never forget is what it's like
to be on this side of the coin.<br>
<br>
The bottom line is that yes, I most certainly *am* doing you a favor by
spending my time with this, even if I run out of patience sometimes or
ask a dumb question from time to time. And we're really on the same
side, even if you can't see it.<br>
<br>
Mark<br>
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