I was taking a nice cold bath, as one does with this intense heat, when I started thinking about how I got here.
Well, "here" doesn't exactly mean the shower I was on— I obviously walked into the bathroom and then the shower. But rather, "here" as in, working on open source software.
I've heard time and time again how some people would want to add an specific feature to an application, and then seen those same people get mad when it doesn't get added, or at least signaled that there were interest in adding it. And, to be fair, I can see how one would be mad that their feedback hasn't been considered yet.
However, when we talk about open source projects, this gets annoying quick.
Wishing
Can only get you so far in life.
I wish to have a job
I wish to learn a new language
I wish to—
Wishing is a way to signal intent, but it doesn't signal that you are willing to help or to try doing that thing you wish to do.
Doing
Is actually performing that wish.
Making sure to realize it, or to, at least, attempt it over, and over, and over again until you succeed in doing so.
Doing is creating a mark in the world. Wishing, isn't.
And I wish people understood it to heart.
It kinda pisses me off because, even though not everyone is gifted the ability to learn new things right off the bat, we can still attempt to learn them.
This goes with any kind of skill, whether it's art, engineering, sports, anything!
Well, how does it relate to open source?
This article works on the assumption that the majority of users of open source platforms (i.e. bluesky and stoat, to name a few) don't really know that they can just pick the project up, ask some people how to do certain things, and work out a way to do the thing that they want.
Sure, it's tedious. People are lazy, they will keep wishing.
But if we don't try— If we don't make the changes that we want to see in our world, they will never come to fruition. They will just keep being dreams, in our heads. No matter how good or beneficial the idea might be to general society.
A bit of a short post, but I had to get this out of my brain before it does too much harm.
Been working on some other stuff in the mean time, so I am not putting writing that much in the priority list. Sorry if this actually inconveniences someone.