Python finally offloads some batteries [LWN.net]

Python finally offloads some batteries

Posted Mar 17, 2022 0:06 UTC (Thu) by anselm (subscriber, #2796)
In reply to: Python finally offloads some batteries by pebolle
Parent article: Python finally offloads some batteries

It's perfectly fine to only use free software. That's one of its tenets.

Yes, but the whole point of free software is also to give users what they need (from the programming and legal POV) to scratch their own itches; the original developers are under no obligation whatsoever to scratch their users' itches for them for free, indefinitely.

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Python finally offloads some batteries

Posted Mar 17, 2022 0:21 UTC (Thu) by pebolle (guest, #35204) [Link] (2 responses)

That's all correct.

But it doesn't justify name-calling users that do not contribute back. Neither does it mean that one shouldn't be able to criticize a free software project without having contributed back.

Python finally offloads some batteries

Posted Mar 17, 2022 0:45 UTC (Thu) by anselm (subscriber, #2796) [Link] (1 responses)

I agree about the name-calling, but when it comes to “criticising a free software project”, there are obvious differences between criticism that is constructive, which should be welcome from anybody, and “criticism” that is basically vociferous complaints by non-contributing users that they're not getting their itches scratched for free, which developers should be free to disregard at will.

(If users can't scratch their own itches, the least they can do, instead of complaining, is learn how to write and submit meaningful and constructive bug reports. If nothing else, this would turn them into contributing users who are actually helping the project.)

Python finally offloads some batteries

Posted Mar 17, 2022 7:37 UTC (Thu) by Wol (subscriber, #4433) [Link]

The other thing they can do - if they are businesses - is to sponsor a developer to scratch their itches for them.

I've just been watching this scenario play out on a kernel mailing list - some users have no clue ... it's tricky, that one came over somewhat as a culture clash ...

Cheers,
Wol