The platform problem

Posted May 19, 2011 9:45 UTC (Thu) by ezyang (guest, #62208)
Parent article: The platform problem

I have come to the conclusion you simply *must must* be actively working with upstream; it's not simply just a matter of "for the common good", it also can confer critical time savings. Rather than spend a few hours doing experiments on what seems hilariously broken, just go check the source. Yes, sometimes actually getting the fix into upstream can be hard, but sometimes they are quite receptive (and if they think it's important enough, will write the patch for you.)

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The platform problem

Posted May 19, 2011 18:07 UTC (Thu) by samroberts (subscriber, #46749) [Link]

To work with upstream requires upstream to work with you. That takes time and energy from them, time and energy they donate for free to help you implement features they might not need.

Whether they are willing to spend time on integrating code for you depends on a lot of factors, but if they have a paid job, and not much spare time, the effort of pushing upstream might not go well. Not all devs are hobbyists who would like nothing more than to work their weekends doing things purely for the intellectual challenge and long-term good of the platform.