software development woes

[TerraFrost]

No phpBB modification annoys me more right now, then my Block Open Proxy Registrants mod. The problem, of course, isn't with my mod (lest the problem would have been fixed), but with the people who use it. They're friggin' idiots.

Every "problem" that people have approached me with I've fixed. Some of these problems were bonafide problems, but many weren't. That's not the most annoying thing, though. The most annoying thing is that past four or so (out of a total of thirty-two) feedbacks for the Block Open Proxy Registrants modification have been of the worst rating.

So, basically, those who are giving this modification the worst possible rating would rather do that than get their problems fixed. If the mistake was mine, I'd learn from it. If the mistake was theirs, I'd be able to rebuff their criticism. But, of course, I can't do either because they don't tell me anything. In doing so, they not only do a disservice to me - they do a disservice to anyone else running that modification.

So what if they had a problem? Are they so petty that they'd rather risk other boards have that problem than do what they can to get it fixed? Apparently.

Of course, the irony of the situation is this - that it could be one person giving me these ratings. One person creating multiple accounts and perhaps even changing their IP address each time, via proxies.

All in all, it's annoying. I was tempted, for a while, just to cease public development on the mod all-together (I'd still develop it in private, since I enjoy developing it), but upon giving it some thought, I came up with a better response. It can be found in the new FAQ for the mod:

Code: Select all

##   Q: class101 asks "Do you really think it's decent to lose new members due to a hack bug ?"
##
##   A: Consider what happens when you install Ptirhiik's Categories Hierarchy MOD.  If there's
##      a critical bug, the ENTIRE BOARD will be disabled.  In this MOD, ONLY registration will
##      be disabled.
##
##      I used to think the latter would be preferable to the former.  I was wrong.  Board
##      Administrators notice a board being disabled almost immediatly.  It may be weeks or
##      months, however, before they notice that registration has been disabled.  By the time
##      they do, they're pissed.  They don't care whether the fault was their own or not, and
##      they don't care whether or not the problem can be fixed.  All they want is vengance -
##      all they want is someone or something to blame.  So they blame me and this MOD.
##
##      So to answer the original question - no.  I don't, any longer, think its "decent".
##      That's why the MOD is now disabled by default.
##
##      As for these supposed "hack bugs" - take a look at the additions to lang_admin.php.
##      Take a look at the suggestions.  Most of these supposed "bugs" are things that I
##      can do nothing about, save for what I've already done.
##
##      Besides, how do you think that list of suggestions was compiled, anyway?  From "bug"
##      reports - reports on things that aren't really "bugs" in my MOD to begin with.

[Nuxius]

Out of curiousity, what do you think people should use the ratings for then?

[TerraFrost]

When someone gives a mod a poor rating, they effectively say "this mod doesn't work" or "this mod is buggy", or something. Unfortunately, I do not know of any bugs in the latest version, nor does anyone tell me of such bugs. As such, when someone gives my mod a poor rating, I see it in the same light that I would see an F on a essay in. Atleast an F that wasn't accompanied by an explanation.

Of course, in this case, I'm pretty confident what the explanation would be, were it given. The explanation would be that they're stupid - that they didn't read the documentation or the suggestions given in the Debug Information panel or that they just messed up when they were installing it (ie. they didn't run the sql, or something). I say this because, as I said, I'm aware of no bugs in the latest version. All the bug reports that have been made have been bogus. They've been the fault of the user - who didn't read the documentation or who just didn't install it or whatever.

So, basically, I'm being forced to conclude that the only reason they're giving my mod a poor rating is because they messed it up. At that point, it ceases to be a rating of the mod, however, and is more a commentary on their abilities (or rather, lack-there-of).

To answer the question - I think people should use ratings to rate the mod - not their own failings.

A slight improvement to the rating system could, however, be made. People could be allowed to change their ratings. This way, although v2.0.0 may be buggy and deserving of a bad rating, v2.2.0 could fix that bug, and get that bad rating changd to a good rating. As is, if someone finds a bug and gives a poor rating, then there's not a lot of incintive to fix it. You're going to have their poor rating, now, no matter what you do, so why do anything?

Of course, even with that change, I suspect a lot of people would still give poor ratings without providing any real explanations as to why - without providing any proof, what-so-ever, that the rating they gave is justified.

Incidently, another annoying thing I've seen are people requesting help for my mods on message boards that I don't visit (I only find out about it months after the fact via Google searches for my mod). When they don't get the help they wanted, they call the mod crap.

This makes me wonder - if they really wanted the problem fix, then why the hell did they not ask me their question? I provide contact information in the mods and am probably, without a doubt, the most qualified person to provide support for my mods. I mean, I'm probably the most experienced person for doing so, and if there's a bug, I'm the one who'll best be able to fix it. So why wouldn't you ask me?

All in all, this behavior makes about sense as it would for me to call Kraft Foods up and ask them to help me fix an IBM ThinkPad. It would be stupid of me to condemn IBM for Kraft Foods lack of support, and likewise, it's stupid for people to condemn me and my mods for the lack of support they recieve on message boards that I have never even heard of.

[Drazo]

Yeah.... critism is helpful but you get unhelpful critism such as that it's another story....

My sister can't take ANY critism at all though.

Eg. -

Sis: "Here, what do you think?"
Me: "That's good! Nothing wrong....'cept for [whatever] needs a slight [whatever] but apart from that it's great! "
Sis: "Grr! *eats drawing*"
Me: ?