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For an example on how it should work look at Bash On Windows. They are really doing a great job there. https://github.com/Microsoft/BashOnWindows/issues https:

by laktak 9y ago

For an example on how it should work look at Bash On Windows. They are really doing a great job there. https://github.com/Microsoft/BashOnWindows/issues https://github.com/Microsoft/BashOnWindows/issues

gwern 9y ago
That reminds me of the Halloween Memos and Stephenson's "In the Beginning was the Commandline". The MS writer dabbles a little in this new 'open source' thing and reports back that he's astonished he can just open a bug! And even submit a patch! Even as a professional Windows user he admits being a little seduced by it. And Stephenson notes the contrast between the Debian bugtracking system and MS Windows's opacity.
- duncan_bayne 9y ago
  I spent ten years or so as a Windows developer. I've experienced the difference between the MS bug reporting process, and the ability to raise an issue on an open source tool then fix it with a pull request. There's no way I'd ever go back.
cm2187 9y ago
Yeah but this is a new project with a team actively developping it. Office is kind of more in maintenance mode, where almost no new features get added between versions. So you probably don't have the same resources behind focusing on improving the code.
int_19h 9y ago
The big difference is that WSL is a product that targets developers. These usually have decent reporting channels - for open source stuff, it's just GitHub as usual, and for others there's normally Connect and UserVoice. You can expect actual devs and PMs from the respective product team to keep an eye on those channels. For consumer products, though, there's no such easy gateways. And you can kinda sorta understand why - the reason why there are all those phone support people who keep suggesting File|New etc is because that's actually what the answer is for most reports. Perhaps Excel guys should just open a GitHub project and get "advanced" feedback there, on the notion that if you can register an account there without getting intimidated, you probably know what you're talking about.

by laktak 9y ago

gwern 9y ago

That reminds me of the Halloween Memos and Stephenson's "In the Beginning was the Commandline". The MS writer dabbles a little in this new 'open source' thing and reports back that he's astonished he can just open a bug! And even submit a patch! Even as a professional Windows user he admits being a little seduced by it. And Stephenson notes the contrast between the Debian bugtracking system and MS Windows's opacity.

duncan_bayne 9y ago
I spent ten years or so as a Windows developer. I've experienced the difference between the MS bug reporting process, and the ability to raise an issue on an open source tool then fix it with a pull request. There's no way I'd ever go back.

cm2187 9y ago

Yeah but this is a new project with a team actively developping it. Office is kind of more in maintenance mode, where almost no new features get added between versions. So you probably don't have the same resources behind focusing on improving the code.

int_19h 9y ago

The big difference is that WSL is a product that targets developers. These usually have decent reporting channels - for open source stuff, it's just GitHub as usual, and for others there's normally Connect and UserVoice. You can expect actual devs and PMs from the respective product team to keep an eye on those channels. For consumer products, though, there's no such easy gateways. And you can kinda sorta understand why - the reason why there are all those phone support people who keep suggesting File|New etc is because that's actually what the answer is for most reports. Perhaps Excel guys should just open a GitHub project and get "advanced" feedback there, on the notion that if you can register an account there without getting intimidated, you probably know what you're talking about.