Re: Why are some Debian bugs ignored for a long time?
Chuck Zmudzinski <brchuckz@netscape.net> writes:
> On 8/19/2022 6:59 PM, Andy Smith wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> On Fri, Aug 19, 2022 at 05:06:38PM -0400, Chuck Zmudzinski wrote:
>> > On 8/19/2022 4:44 PM, piorunz wrote:
>> > > On 19/08/2022 18:57, Chuck Zmudzinski wrote:
>> > > > I have noticed that some Debian bugs are ignored for a long
>> > > > time, sometimes even when the person who submitted the bug
>> > > > offered a patch. The Debian developers/maintainers sometimes
>> > > > don't even reply and therefore never explain why the proposed
>> > > > patch cannot be applied. Why is that the case with Debian
>> > > > developers/maintainers?
>> > >
>> > > Hi Chuck,
>> > >
>> > > Maybe because developers/maintainers are not paid by the hour, but mere
>> > > volunteers, don't you think?
>> >
>>
>> > you are saying if a Debian user experiences a bug in Debian
>> > software, Debian developers/maintainers do not have to fix it.
>>
>> That is a direct consequence of the meaning of the term "volunteer";
>> you may as well have said, "water is wet". Volunteers cannot be
>> forced to do work, else they are not volunteers.
>
> The fact that Debian is created by volunteers and therefore the chances are
> high that users might run into problems and not get help from the volunteers
> who alone have the power to fix the problems is a fact that Debian users, and
> all users of free software, need to keep in mind.
This is equally true of commercial software: if the company feels it's a
low-enough impact bug it won't get fixed.
Commercial software has the additional risk that a product may simply
be withdrawn from the market. With cloud-based commercial software,
this means it could completely fail to function (one that's particularly
noticeable is that as companies withdraw from the home automation space,
consumers are discovering their smart home has suddenly become
completely dumb).
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