Re: Fwd: Are users of Debian software members of the Debian community?

[Wouter Verhelst <wouter@debian.org>]

On Thu, Sep 15, 2022 at 09:51:03PM -0400, Chuck Zmudzinski wrote:
> On 9/15/22 8:33 PM, Russ Allbery wrote:
> > Or maybe the problem is that you want to be able to tell people what to
> > do, but you don't want to have to pay them?  If so, uh, good luck with
> > that!
> >
> 
> I am sorry you misunderstand me. Please stop putting words in
> my mouth. Let me speak for myself. I don't need you to tell me
> what I think about Debian. I know what I think about Debian.
> You obviously do not.

Russ does have point though in that if you don't like something in
Debian, there are really only two things you can do to fix that
situation for yourself:

- Get involved as a contributor, and help out fixing the problems that
  exist
- Stop using Debian, and use something else.

All these are valid approaches.

You don't have to be involved as a contributor in Debian; nobody forces
you to. If you don't want to do that, however, then you won't be
involved in decision making either; that's just a fact, and one that
will not change (well, it might change if we ever bring it to a vote,
but if you want to bring that to a vote you have to get voting rights
and that means you have to contribute in some way first).

You don't have to use Debian; nobody forces you to. If there are things
in Debian which you dislike, but there is another distribution that has
ideas and values that align better with how you think things should be
done, then that's great, and you should move to that distribution! It
will make both you and us happier, I'm sure.

Nobody is saying that the situation as it currently exists is perfect.
Debian is definitely flawed, and it probably always will be. You can
help us work on that *if* you're willing to help with the work that is
required to improve matters, but again, nobody forces you to do so if
you don't want to do that (or don't have either the skills to do so or
the money to pay someone with the skills to do them at your request).

If you don't want to work on improving things, and you don't want to
move to another distribution, then there is really one other final
action you can take:

- Accept the fact that Debian is not perfect, and live with it.

-- 
     w@uter.{be,co.za}
wouter@{grep.be,fosdem.org,debian.org}

I will have a Tin-Actinium-Potassium mixture, thanks.