this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
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If you don't have coding skills, why don't you help foss software by making it more user friendly instead? (lemmy.giftedmc.com)
submitted 11 months ago by haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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Disclaimer

Not trying to blame anyone here. I‘m just taking an idea I‘ve read and spinning it further:

Intro

A lot of people use free open source software (foss), Linux being one of them. But a lot less actually help make this software. If I ask them why, they always say „I don’t have the coding skills!“.

Maybe its worth pointing out that you don‘t need them. In a lot of cases it’s better to not have any so you can see stuff with a „consumer view“.

In that situation you can file issues on github and similar places. You can write descriptions that non technical people can understand. You can help translate and so on, all depending on your skills.

Other reasons?

I‘d really like to know so the foss community can talk about making it worthwile for non coders to participate.

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[–] ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone 56 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Using GitHub is a skill of it's own, and requires knowledge of coding practices. It's hugely confronting to someone without coding experience

[–] haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com 7 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Yes, absolutely but github (which is only an example, mind you) has a lot of consumer friendly accomodations like github gui and cli.

You can edit stuff directly in someone elses repo (or so it seems) in the web browser. I know you have to do a branch and a pull request but thats something that can be worked on.

[–] frosty99c@midwest.social 29 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for making my point. :)

[–] jnplch@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Woooooooooooosh

[–] haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Wow. Great addition. Have a nice day.

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The "woosh" is because we're trying to point out that the average person probably doesn't know how to use git cli and make coding documentation.

[–] haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com 1 points 11 months ago

I knew that. I‘m saying just because the average person doesnt use it does not mean nobody uses it.

[–] Paradachshund@lemmy.today 19 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Since you're trying to build bridges with this post, I just want you to know that everything you mentioned in this comment is far beyond a non-programmer and sounds totally incomprehensible. It's jargon soup. I don't say this to dunk on you or anything, I just wanted to let you know how high your own skill level is, because it can be easy to forget sometimes. People without those skills won't be able to follow this kind of explanation.

[–] haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com 2 points 11 months ago

Thanks for the heads up. Yes, I‘m indeed trying to help and apparently some people really want me to stop but I wont. I‘m happy a few actually appreciate it.

The jargon soup is not intentional, I was trying to head off a couple smartypants that will tell me that editing a repository in the browser actually just makes a branch.

You can’t do it right anyway. If you facilitate change, people will crucify you. So I just take hate and dont care at all.

[–] frosty99c@midwest.social 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

That was exactly my point with the linked xkcd too. Not sure how they interpreted that as being in support of their post.

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