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If you don't have coding skills, why don't you help foss software by making it more user friendly instead? (lemmy.giftedmc.com)

submitted 11 months ago by haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Disclaimer

Not trying to blame anyone here. I‘m just taking an idea I‘ve read and spinning it further:

Intro

A lot of people use free open source software (foss), Linux being one of them. But a lot less actually help make this software. If I ask them why, they always say „I don’t have the coding skills!“.

Maybe its worth pointing out that you don‘t need them. In a lot of cases it’s better to not have any so you can see stuff with a „consumer view“.

In that situation you can file issues on github and similar places. You can write descriptions that non technical people can understand. You can help translate and so on, all depending on your skills.

Other reasons?

I‘d really like to know so the foss community can talk about making it worthwile for non coders to participate.

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[–] chitak166@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I totally believe you.

That kind of rigidity in software design leads me to believe more people need to read The Pragmatic Programmer.

I, of course, do not; because I am already a pragmatic programmer.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 4 points 11 months ago

Gee if someone wants to fix an issue they can be my guest, that way I don't have to deal with it. It's not that people aren't pragmatic it's that they are little generals of their own world and they don't want to give that up even if it would make the world better.

I've met some absolute Napoleon's in my time programming. I don't know what it is that attracts them, perhaps it's that programmers historically tend not to have very good social skills in general? I don't know, but it's weird. You'd think they'd all be total nerds and be somewhat deferent, but nope.