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Here's an example of what a constructive, friendly email might look like, in contrast to what Tom sent. >>> Hey Don, thanks for all the hard work you've put i

Here's an example of what a constructive, friendly email might look like, in contrast to what Tom sent. >>> Hey Don, thanks for all the hard work you've put into Notepad++ over the years. I've never paid you a cent, and yet I've personally made quite a bit of money from using the product. Despite how obviously useful the product is overall for me, there's a niggle I've got, that I'd love you to solve. Let me know if I can do any hands-on work to help you fix it. I'm probably not good enough to write code, but maybe I could help with testing, writing documentation, or giving you more detail on the issue. Or maybe I should, you know, give you some cash. Anyway, the issue I'm having is around using the settings. I'd like to use the application with a specific UI - greenish background, black text, highlighting what's selected. The way I've configured it sort of works, but has a white background when I move the cursor around. This is probably me doing something wrong, but I can't work it out - I've searched on the internet, but can't find a solution. Here are the settings I'm using. [...] Let me know if I can provide more details that would help reproduce the problem. Thanks again for all that you do to make Notepad++ the great product that it is.

SpEd3Y 4y ago
I agree. And ideally this is what all emails should look like. But you're ignoring the context. Do you know what that guy was going through? Maybe his wife just cheated on him, divorced him and took half his money, his kids don't want to have anything to do with him, his bank took his house and he just crashed the car. And he tried to use Notepad++ and the same old issue happened and he snapped and sent that email. 99 out of 100 times he would have send the email you mentioned here but he had a horrible day and vented in the email. Does it make it ok? No. Is it understandable? Yes. Should we discard the feedback because he was frustrated? No.
- brewdad 4y ago
  He didn't have to send that email at that moment if he was going through some stuff. One's having a bad day does not excuse anti-social behavior. Ever.
  - teddyh 4y ago
    Someone being rude does not excuse ignoring their legitimate problem.
    - happyraul 4y ago
      Why not? Would that be rude?
      - teddyh 4y ago
        Even worse than rude, it would be unproductive. If you were to recieve a report about a critical security flaw, would you ignore it simply because the reporting user was rude in the report? I should hope not. So why should normal bug reports (and confusing UI/UX issues are also bugs) be treated any differently?
        blowski 4y ago
        This wasn’t a critical security report.
        teddyh 4y ago
        Please read my entire comment, not merely the first half. To be excruciatingly explicit: Bugs (and confusing UI/UX) experienced and reported by rude users also affect many non-rude users. If one wants one’s software to be the best it can be, then one should listen to all bug reports; the attitude of the reporting users are irrelevant.
        lovich 4y ago
        maybe when we are all replaced by robots that is true, but its not possible for the average person to take abuse constantly and keep a level head. That's not how our brains are wired
        blowski 4y ago
pddpro 4y ago
Doesn't have to be this verbose even. Just a "I've been using Notepad++ for years now, thank you so much for it!" and a bit of "I understand that there are many issues that require your attention right now but there's this thing I'm struggling with..." Would've done. Honestly, this looks like a troll's work. I personally would've ignored him/her because of the adage, "don't feed the trolls"
- vsl 4y ago
  It’s not a troll (someone being deliberately offensive). If you make something free, you do get some amount of just this kind of entitled, abrasive users. It can be soul-draining and I admire Don’s kindness here.
dataflow 4y ago
> Here's an example of what a constructive, friendly email might look like What would constructive, unfriendly feedback look like?
- m_mueller 4y ago
  Anything by Linus Torvalds.
- blowski 4y ago
  >>> I'm having an issue using the settings. I'd like to use the application with a specific UI - greenish background, black text, highlighting what's selected. The way I've configured it sort of works, but has a white background when I move the cursor around. Here are the settings I’m using and a screenshot of the problem.
  - dataflow 4y ago
    There's nothing unfriendly about that. It just doesn't go out of its way to exude overt friendliness, is all.
    - breakfastduck 4y ago
      'Unfriendly' does not mean the opposite of friendly. It means it is not friendly. So that is by definition 'unfriendly' - because it does not exude any friendliness. Just because it is 'unfriendly' does not mean it is 'rude'.
      - dataflow 4y ago
        I'm pretty sure your definition is not the one most people use. Google for sentences containing the word "unfriendly" and I'm pretty sure 90%+ of them (if not 99%+ of them) use it as a milder version of "rude", not as "showing no signs of friendliness or rudeness". To circle back to the point of the original comment, my point was "constructive" and "friendly" are describing different characteristics, and "rude" does not automatically imply "unconstructive" (and of course "constructive" does not imply "kind" either). That fact is precisely what necessitated your use of the word "friendly" in your own comment. You can see this if you Google too—the top result I get when I Google constructive criticism meaning [1] says constructive criticism is "a feedback method that offers specific, actionable recommendations". That's all it means. [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=constructive+criticism+meaning https://www.google.com/search?q=constructive+criticism+meani...
avgcorrection 4y ago
We’re talking about constructive feedback. This template: - Praises the product and the hard work - Says that it is so useful to them [but it wasn’t for this user, though?] - Volunteers to help with what they want to solve - … and yet also chastises themselves for probably not being good enough to contribute the most holy CODE. More praise of the author by putting oneself down? - Finally gets to the suggestion in the fourth and penultimate paragraph - Oh silly me, it’s probably a user error on my part - Praises the product again You’re either taking the piss or are setting the bar so high that none of the “haters” are gonna feel inclined to send someone a matter-of-fact (not rude, and also not this submissive fanperson, either) constructive feedback.
- blowski 4y ago
  This is my template, not _the_ template. What’s your template?
  - avgcorrection 4y ago
    Dunno but I found this thing lying around that I liked: > I'm having an issue using the settings. I'd like to use the application with a specific UI - greenish background, black text, highlighting what's selected. The way I've configured it sort of works, but has a white background when I move the cursor around. Here are the settings I’m using and a screenshot of the problem. ;)
    - blowski 4y ago
      I’m British. Self-deprecation is the only thing I’m good at.
- Aeolun 4y ago
  Hmm, any mail without the hate would be fine. This user is just showing what a good mail might look like?

SpEd3Y 4y ago

I agree. And ideally this is what all emails should look like. But you're ignoring the context. Do you know what that guy was going through? Maybe his wife just cheated on him, divorced him and took half his money, his kids don't want to have anything to do with him, his bank took his house and he just crashed the car. And he tried to use Notepad++ and the same old issue happened and he snapped and sent that email. 99 out of 100 times he would have send the email you mentioned here but he had a horrible day and vented in the email. Does it make it ok? No. Is it understandable? Yes. Should we discard the feedback because he was frustrated? No.

brewdad 4y ago
He didn't have to send that email at that moment if he was going through some stuff. One's having a bad day does not excuse anti-social behavior. Ever.
- teddyh 4y ago
  Someone being rude does not excuse ignoring their legitimate problem.
  - happyraul 4y ago
    Why not? Would that be rude?
    - teddyh 4y ago
      Even worse than rude, it would be unproductive. If you were to recieve a report about a critical security flaw, would you ignore it simply because the reporting user was rude in the report? I should hope not. So why should normal bug reports (and confusing UI/UX issues are also bugs) be treated any differently?
      - blowski 4y ago
        This wasn’t a critical security report.
        teddyh 4y ago
        Please read my entire comment, not merely the first half. To be excruciatingly explicit: Bugs (and confusing UI/UX) experienced and reported by rude users also affect many non-rude users. If one wants one’s software to be the best it can be, then one should listen to all bug reports; the attitude of the reporting users are irrelevant.
        lovich 4y ago
        maybe when we are all replaced by robots that is true, but its not possible for the average person to take abuse constantly and keep a level head. That's not how our brains are wired
        blowski 4y ago

pddpro 4y ago

Doesn't have to be this verbose even. Just a "I've been using Notepad++ for years now, thank you so much for it!" and a bit of "I understand that there are many issues that require your attention right now but there's this thing I'm struggling with..." Would've done. Honestly, this looks like a troll's work. I personally would've ignored him/her because of the adage, "don't feed the trolls"

vsl 4y ago
It’s not a troll (someone being deliberately offensive). If you make something free, you do get some amount of just this kind of entitled, abrasive users. It can be soul-draining and I admire Don’s kindness here.

dataflow 4y ago

> Here's an example of what a constructive, friendly email might look like What would constructive, unfriendly feedback look like?

m_mueller 4y ago
Anything by Linus Torvalds.
blowski 4y ago
>>> I'm having an issue using the settings. I'd like to use the application with a specific UI - greenish background, black text, highlighting what's selected. The way I've configured it sort of works, but has a white background when I move the cursor around. Here are the settings I’m using and a screenshot of the problem.
- dataflow 4y ago
  There's nothing unfriendly about that. It just doesn't go out of its way to exude overt friendliness, is all.
  - breakfastduck 4y ago
    'Unfriendly' does not mean the opposite of friendly. It means it is not friendly. So that is by definition 'unfriendly' - because it does not exude any friendliness. Just because it is 'unfriendly' does not mean it is 'rude'.
    - dataflow 4y ago
      I'm pretty sure your definition is not the one most people use. Google for sentences containing the word "unfriendly" and I'm pretty sure 90%+ of them (if not 99%+ of them) use it as a milder version of "rude", not as "showing no signs of friendliness or rudeness". To circle back to the point of the original comment, my point was "constructive" and "friendly" are describing different characteristics, and "rude" does not automatically imply "unconstructive" (and of course "constructive" does not imply "kind" either). That fact is precisely what necessitated your use of the word "friendly" in your own comment. You can see this if you Google too—the top result I get when I Google constructive criticism meaning [1] says constructive criticism is "a feedback method that offers specific, actionable recommendations". That's all it means. [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=constructive+criticism+meaning https://www.google.com/search?q=constructive+criticism+meani...

avgcorrection 4y ago

We’re talking about constructive feedback. This template: - Praises the product and the hard work - Says that it is so useful to them [but it wasn’t for this user, though?] - Volunteers to help with what they want to solve - … and yet also chastises themselves for probably not being good enough to contribute the most holy CODE. More praise of the author by putting oneself down? - Finally gets to the suggestion in the fourth and penultimate paragraph - Oh silly me, it’s probably a user error on my part - Praises the product again You’re either taking the piss or are setting the bar so high that none of the “haters” are gonna feel inclined to send someone a matter-of-fact (not rude, and also not this submissive fanperson, either) constructive feedback.

blowski 4y ago
This is my template, not _the_ template. What’s your template?
- avgcorrection 4y ago
  Dunno but I found this thing lying around that I liked: > I'm having an issue using the settings. I'd like to use the application with a specific UI - greenish background, black text, highlighting what's selected. The way I've configured it sort of works, but has a white background when I move the cursor around. Here are the settings I’m using and a screenshot of the problem. ;)
  - blowski 4y ago
    I’m British. Self-deprecation is the only thing I’m good at.
Aeolun 4y ago
Hmm, any mail without the hate would be fine. This user is just showing what a good mail might look like?