4 ms·
It's possible to maintain software quality (or quality of any endeavour) without being rude or making people feel bad. On the other hand, there doesn't seem to
by lfam 6y ago
It's possible to maintain software quality (or quality of any endeavour) without being rude or making people feel bad.
On the other hand, there doesn't seem to be any correlation between rude behaviour and high levels of technical quality, nor is there any plausible explanation for such a correlation.
My hunch is that any successful project with a rude atmosphere succeeds in spite of the rudeness.
- dalbasal 6y agoReminds me of the "steve jobs effect" at certain points. CEOs and execs purposely being arseholes because greatness. Newton was a bastard. Steve was an ass. Prince was unbearable. If I act like a bastard...
- mastrsushi 6y agoYou're really going to group Prince with Newton and Jobs though? lol
- bfgh 6y agoWhat you describe is very possible with a group of like minded developers; I think everyone, including those who are perceived as rude on the Internet, prefers that atmosphere. In practice, however, many open source projects have socially dominant developers who incessantly rewrite everything and introduce bugs until some introvert correctness advocate explodes. There is no way of dealing nicely with passive aggressive socially dominant people. They just continue their game until someone calls them out directly. These days, of course, the introvert is canceled and they can carry on.
- zozbot234 6y agoSee the Rust project (the programming language, not the game) for one example of a community which manages to retain a huge focus on software quality while staying professional and inclusive, and not being rude to outsiders. We might even see a development where people will choose to "rewrite their software in Rust" purely as a ploy to attract nice and professional contributors!
- rectang 6y agoSoftware is a second career for me, and the pervasive hostility of the tech industry has never stopped shocking me. I dream of communities where differences are celebrated, enhancing creative ferment; the tech industry as a whole won't be that way within the foreseeable future, but there can be pockets where tolerance and constructive interaction are norms. The Rust community is one of them. Regardless of whether it is successful as a recruitment tool, regardless of the effect on productivity, building a kind community is worthwhile just for the sake of its members. Because life is short, and every hour that we spend enjoying ourselves rather than enveloped by hostility is a treasure.
- xupybd 6y agoDo you mind if I ask what your first career was?
- rectang 6y agoI worked in a recording studio for 6 years. It had started as a punk rock shop, but by the time I worked there had grown into a mid-level facility with a diverse clientele; I recorded two koto albums, remastered a Marcel Marceau interview record, did transfers of lost tapes from Cambodian surf rock bands wiped out by the Khmer Rouge... it was day after day of solving hard technical problems with very limited budgets to help individuals achieve their personal artistic visions, and an ongoing celebration of freaks letting their freak flags fly. I dream of open source software communities with a similar ethos, but they must exist within a vast sea of tech industry assholery and misogyny, and are so easily swamped.
- 6y ago