Progress?

[Stuart McGraw]

On 08/02/2011 08:15 PM, James McKenzie wrote:
> On 8/1/11 11:46 PM, Ian Malone wrote:
>[...]
>> Constructive criticism and suggestions are far more useful than just
>> enumerating grievances.
> Amen said the choir.  Bellyaching about something you cannot change is 
> not going to change it and might just dig the heels in of the developers 
> more.  I've been of that ilk for YEARS.  If you have something to say, 
> say it, but coat it with HONEY.  Remember, the song in Mary Poppins "A 
> Spoon Full of Sugar Make the Medicine Go Down"?  That is what we should 
> be doing.  [...]

I certainly agree "Constructive criticism and suggestions 
are far more useful than just enumerating grievances" but 
don't think that means the latter are useless.

As to the honey part, I disagree.  Developers and users 
constitute a partnership and I don't think it is good to set
the smaller number of developers on a pedestal, approachable 
only with circumspection and deference reminiscent of a 
French commoner approaching the court of Louis XVI.

Both partners get pluses and minuses from the partnership.
Developers get bug reporting, bug fixes, and the ego strokes
from being developer of a widely used piece of software.  
They may also get financial rewards in the form of consulting
or book contracts, or job offers.  Users of course get to use 
useful software for free.  

If a developer needs deference as well, then they should 
distribute their software under license terms that require 
that.  Or restrict its distribution to people they know will 
not be critical.

But if they want the benefits of widespread use, I think they 
need to understand that those benefits are going to come with
some criticism as well as admiration and gratitude.

None of this should be taken as encouraging the dissing of 
developers or their work (and certainly not blatantly insulting 
or personal attacks), but rather discouraging the 10 times as 
many "don't say that" responses that each of the former seem
to generate.