Yet another failed KDE release?

[James Tyrer]

On 05/07/2013 04:21 PM, Duncan wrote:
> Ross Boylan posted on Tue, 07 May 2013 14:40:50 -0700 as excerpted:
>
>> On Tuesday, May 07, 2013 02:54:19 AM James Tyrer wrote:
>>
>>> The KDE development team appears to be interested in something other
>>> than producing a stable release.  It really is that simple.
>
> As Kevin keeps hammering hammering on, KDE isn't a single product.  There
> are many that would (wrongly) say the same about Linux, which clearly
> isn't the case, or about Adobe (his example, very good one BTW), or even
> about "Windows" or MS, when the bug's actually in MS Office (not MS
> Windows) or even in Adobe's PDF reader or something else only related to
> MS Windows in that it runs on the platform.
>
Kevin's comments are both correct and irrelevant.  It is true that there 
are now KDE based applications that are outside the realm of the Desktop 
and associated applications.  Should they be associated with the Desktop 
regarding the stable release issue.  Well, that is a good question. But, 
lets only consider the D Desktop Environment so as to not beg the 
question with other issues.

>>> I find very useful the dystopian novel: "The Rise of the Meritocracy"
>>> which is a critique of the idea of "the meritocracy".  A meritocracy is
>>> defined by the search for merit -- but that is dependent on the
>>> definition of merit.  I find that I have no merit in the KDE project
>>> despite the fact that I went to college and studied EE and computer
>>> science.  In the KDE project, you obtain merit be designing a new
>>> application.  So, that is the nail that everyone is hitting with their
>>> hammer.
>
> [Paragraph immediately below moved from elsewhere to address along with
> the next one in reply to the above.]
>
>> I too am finding the reliability of KDE and its apps not what I would
>> like, but one thing puzzles me about this complaint, the statement that
>> bug fixing is not welcomed...
>
>> Where do you get the idea that you have "no merit in the KDE project",
>> or that someone fixing bugs would be greeted with anything other than
>> enthusiasm? Well, it's free software and so there's bound to be some
>> static, but apart from that :)
>
> Without trying to get too personal in my reply (which I should say
> explicitly is simply personal opinion), there's a bit of interpersonal
> history here that you evidently aren't aware of.  He came across rather
> strongly on a few bugs, with the devs in charge of those products
> reacting defensively to what they saw as demands he had no right to make
> as a result.  Regardless of the merits of the individual bugs and
> proposed fixes (which I'm staying neutral on), the unfortunate result is
> that now certain devs prefer to stay as far away from involvement with
> him and anything he proposes as possible.

That looks a bit like spin.  Spin is based on facts, but it is still spin.

The fact remains that developers appear to resent users demanding that 
bugs be fixed.  That statement has little to do with me since lots of 
users have done it and continued to do it even after I quite reporting bugs.

The more sensitive question is whether "someone fixing bugs would be 
greeted with anything other than enthusiasm".  Yes, that is the 
question.  What do you think?  Do developers welcome someone fixing bugs 
-- fixing bugs in their code, or do they take bug reports personally and 
resent people posting patches to fix bugs in their code?  Would they 
rather have the bug go unfixed than to have someone else fix it?

This appears to be part of a common human failing that I have 
experienced in other contexts in other volunteer organizations. 
Specifically, I find that with my Homeowners' Association that people on 
the Board of Directors often resent it when someone with some expertise, 
or someone that has taken the time to research a subject, tries to give 
them advice on a subject -- in effect tells them how to do something; 
but are really only giving expert advice.  No, they would rather do it 
their way without any interference from anyone else.

-- 
James Tyrer

Linux (mostly) From Scratch

-- 
James Tyrer

Linux (mostly) From Scratch
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