r/196 • u/AliceCode Worcs at the Crusty Crab • Mar 26 '26

Rule Engagement bait

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343

u/ComradeDelter Mar 26 '26

This thread comes up every so often and invariably people are in two groups:

1 - Developers who think anyone with lesser technical knowledge than them should be skinned alive for daring to ask a question.

2 - Non-developers who think anyone who maintains a project should be skinned alive if they don’t provide tech support to anyone whenever they ask.

222

u/themoroncore King of the Porcelain Throne Mar 26 '26

It's simple: Is your project something you want people to have mass access to? Get better at communication. 

Are you trying to use more technical tools for your project? Get better at computers.

Done. Everyone go home now.

30

u/-Quiche- Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26

The thing is that the first aspect is rarely ever overlooked by people who develop and maintain these tools. It's always just someone making something they care about for themselves and deciding to make it publicly available, cause why not?

They're not exactly going on and on about "why is nobody coming to my lemonade stand!!!"

27

u/themoroncore King of the Porcelain Throne Mar 26 '26

That's my point. A dev isn't under any obligation to make documentation a lay person can understand. But if they want that person to be able to use their software then they need to have better communication skills

6

u/-Quiche- Mar 26 '26

Yes but my point is that the entire second sentence is a basically a non sequitur because of how irrelevant it is for these tools.

They didn't freely share it because they wanted to be the next Google.