On Sat, 2016-02-13 at 18:03 +0100, Tobias Ellinghaus wrote:
And why would you do that, listen to users and think about how to tailor the program to suit them? Exactly: because it's fun to do that.
For some people, yes. For many, it's not. Getting data about users that isn't anecdotal is more complex and uses processes that many developers aren't entirely aware of.
(*) I am talking about voluntary developers. I don't care about paid people here, they might be chained to a desk and threatened with a whip so I won't speculate on their motivation and if they should be catered for when coming up with policies.
Programmers are in such high demand right now that money is simply not a motivator to anyone. Even a paid developer will have to be having fun, but the difference is that the developer will be able to execute more of their time in the project. Hence sustainability, not motivation.
As for rules; making sure that contributors can easily contribute is a major goal in this project. Few other projects think so much about how to make the project available to the widest possible number as Inkscape does.
So is the /primary/ reason fun for all developers? No. Is it something all developers are looking out for? Yes. We have no argument here in principle; but the project shouldn't be subdued from making statements about professional conduct because the first goal is now having a laugh. We can be professionals and volunteers having fun and getting stuff done.
Best Regards, Martin Owens
(*) You say you don't care about people, but I think you were being hyperbolic here.