Re: [tdf-discuss] Request: Installation Instructions

On Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 3:06 PM, Robert Holtzman <holtzm@cox.net> wrote:
> On Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 01:30:19AM +0930, Michael Wheatland wrote:

> > Yes I was most defininately referring to Rene's comments.
> > I have experienced a similar type of arrogance amongst 2 other open
> > source projects, one of which was resolved quickly and resolutely by
> > it's members actively denouncing such attitudes within the community.
>
> A little gratuitous advice (not criticism). If you are new to mailing
> lists be aware that you should develop a thick skin. You're dealing
> with people and some people have shorter fuses than others. If they come
> across to you as arrogant you have several options. Ignore them, dig
> through the perceived arrogance to see what they are trying to convey,
> or filter their posts. The last runs the risk of missing out on
> important information.
>
> FWIW my attitude toward people learning at least the rudiments of their
> OS, beyond merely where to point and click, is quite similar to Rene's.
> >

In like fashion, people who don't want to put up with gratuitous
profanity have the same right to speak up about it. The person who
acts in ways that others perceive as arrogant and uses language that
detracts from conversations runs the risk of being dismissed. This
train runs both ways. The idea that profanity is sometimes required is
laughable. Why is that? To make a point more forcefully. To derail a
conversation. Whatever. The Document Foundation is a community
offering valuable software. Profanity IMO is unnecessary.

It is not anywhere written in the mission of the Document Foundation
that users have to learn anything about installation. However, there
is this on the LibreOffice page, "...improving how to make the
software available to our users." It would seem that Italo's position
is more in keeping with the apparent tech-elite proposed by Rene and
Robert Holtzman. You are certainly free to hold the opinion and impose
it on people that you support. It appears as though the requirement
that people have to know their OS before they can use LibO is going
down in defeat. Time for more swearing!!!

Italo, I work on several open source projects. Almost everyone else
involved is a developer (I'm more in your camp, although the dpkg -i
x86_64 .deb issue is well within my ability). In every case, there is
shared emphasis on users. What benefits the users? There's a whole lot
to that of course. But in no case is there the attitude that people
need to learn some level of the OS before they are considered worthy
of the product. Thank you for your work in making the Document
Foundation happen. I believe that you are on the right side of this
issue.

Carl

-- 
Unsubscribe instructions: E-mail to discuss+help@documentfoundation.org
Archive: http://www.documentfoundation.org/lists/discuss/
*** All posts to this list are publicly archived for eternity ***