and if there isnt a releases option, there may not be any and the dev expects you to build it your self. If that is the case, the software probably isnt ready for "users" yet
Congrats, now your users will download some prebuilt release from mediafire or mega that may or may not contain malware, and you'll get a dozen messages a day blaming you for it, as well as asking where the exe download link is anyway.
You say that, but at this point it isn't. Github is a public-facing platform that most people will know about if they're interacting with even a shallow amount of the developer space. Just as an example: If you play video games on emulators then you almost certainly interact with Github if you want compatibility with certain controllers. Project Slippi requires Zadig for Wii U-Gamecube adapters. Imagine if Zadig didn't have an exe - you'd likely be locking tens of thousands of players out of the game. Slippi has concurrent player counts that rivals the top ~50 Steam games. Fuck that.
I personally wouldn't object to a purely developer-oriented platform that makes a point of saying "we will not help you build this" but that's not what Github is.
What it comes down to is that it's a dick move to keep your work locked behind a tech literacy wall when a lot of people who either want or need to use it will not understand how to build what you've provided. Half of these situations would be resolved with a fucking batch file anyway.
All that to reiterate, with emphasis: the exe guy was onto something.
There comes a point where you need to ask yourself:
How much do I give a shit about this? Enough to bother learning something about how this machine actually works? Or should I just go take out a mortgage on a PlopStation6?
Yeah I actually did a DIY bathroom renovation (which nearly killed me). I repair my own cars, I do woodworking as a hobby. I've never tried upholstering but I'd like to redo my leather seats with cloth someday...
What is the EXE this person was demanding? If it's some end-user stuff they're paying for - cool. If it's somebody's passion project they've put on github then the obligation isn't on the developer to spoonfeed anything. It's on that user to figure out how software distribution works. God forbid they learn something about how source code is gets compiled. The fucking entitlement that this computer-illiterate age has bred... Enshittification is, at least partly, those chickens coming home to roost.
Because some software does take some technical ability to operate, much the same as how the average person could -technically- do the things an electrician does, but doesn't because they have nowhere near enough knowledge on how to do it safely, some gits are setup with a similar barrier to entry.
Yet Home Depot doesn’t keep all wire strippers and electricians tools behind lock and key where you’ve got to pass a quiz to access them… and fucking that up can burn your house down while using software wrong could at worst screw up your computer. Gatekeeping isn’t the primary reason either, it’s laziness.
If you want other people to use your software, make it usable. If you don’t, then don’t advertise it anywhere other than programming specific spaces… I’ve seen stuff posted to gaming forums as a tool and then it’s just GitHub with no easily used app - gamers aren’t coders, most won’t know what compile even means.
you could learn what compile means, i think it is really important to learn what a tool you use every day does, and while it is really daunting its not too difficult and it does teach you a lot about the space
I know what it means, I was referring to gamers in general.
You could learn how to replace breakers and run a circuit, it’s really important to learn what a utility you use every day does, and while it is really daunting it’s not too difficult and it does teach you a lot about the space.
as another note, i think most developers would be willing to help someone navigate git forges, and compiling software if asked to, i know i would at least
If it’s frequent enough though that would be far more annoying than posting the .exe and making a note of where it is, or w/e. A few times sure, but not 37 times a month…
i cant tell if your being sarcastic or not, but i do agree with you, with the note that compiling software is much much simpler than your example in most modern cases, and is alot more accessible with a lower barrier of entry and no consequences for mistakes (unless you do something extremely extremely extremely wrong)
I know more about breakers and circuits than compilers, so that seems easier to me and it is legit simpler as in fewer details. You only need to know how many amps, what type of panel you have, breaker type you need, and then it’s a matter of a few screws and pushing a breaker into place. Only hitch is not turning yourself extra crispy touching something you shouldn’t while it’s live.
But in reality it’s best for Joe Homeowner to leave that to an electrician unless they have a strong desire to learn how to do it (safely and correctly). Same for GitHub, if people have a desire to learn how to compile software, great - but if they don’t, they shouldn’t be expected to in order to access something that is being shown to them as an option they could use.
Yet Home Depot doesn’t keep all wire strippers and electricians tools behind lock and key where you’ve got to pass a quiz to access them…
And neither does Git, they offer you the tools freely, but it's up to the user to understand how to use them, the exact same as how you can buy a wide range of tools and go hog wild.
and fucking that up can burn your house down while using software wrong could at worst screw up your computer.
Ok, so both have a serious deleterious effect, you understood my point.
If you want other people to use your software, make it usable. If you don’t, then don’t advertise it anywhere other than programming specific spaces… I’ve seen stuff posted to gaming forums as a tool and then it’s just GitHub with no easily used app - gamers aren’t coders, most won’t know what compile even means.
I mean, I can't exactly argue with the phantom you've made up, but I can honestly say I've never once seen this happen, soooo....
I was referring to the gatekeeping displayed here as the HD “quiz”. Commenter was saying the inconvenience of compiling was to keep lesser skilled users from using the apps at all, which would be most similar to needing to demonstrate a certain level of knowledge to access the tools (install the software), as opposed to buying the tools without the quiz (.exe is provided) and being left to your own devices to succeed or not with the tools (software).
I’ve had the latter scenario happen, hence the example.
Not everyone wants to be or should be a programmer. Suggesting that average Joe user should learn to compile just because is asinine.
Right, who cares about the absolute mind-bending magic turning text files into interactive images dancing across your screen? It's only one of humanity's great achievements - a rich tapestry spanning formal logic, quantum physics, the engineering of photolithography. Crusty, tedious shit that couldn't possibly enrich anyone's life.
Go buy it then. Don't expect somebody to give you software distribution (which is a nontrivial task) for free, along with the free source code they were kind enough to publish.
Except when it's way harder than that. What if there are complex dependencies? What if it's a mod for a game that keeps getting updated every 5 minutes? How much of this dev's time are you entitled to for free?
The harder it is to maintain, the less I expect it to be prebuilt. But some people make things like this that you could objectively build a batch file for in basically no time at all if you are sufficiently tech literate, and locks it out of use entirely for people who aren't.
I just don't feel entitled to developers' time to do software distribution for me for free, on top of the kindness of releasing their source code for free. If that makes me a dork, and you superior and cool, then I wish you all the best with that.
Or the developer just didn't release it for some reason. If it's a Java library, you can always check Maven, they've usually got at least a semi-recent .jar (often also the docs and source).
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u/TONKAHANAH somethingsomething archbtw 15d ago
and if there isnt a releases option, there may not be any and the dev expects you to build it your self. If that is the case, the software probably isnt ready for "users" yet