I’m not complaining, but I didn’t realize how much work it was. It makes me really respect the people who do it on a regular basis.

For example:

  • You know how to use your software, but other people don’t. So you need to write documentation.
  • You can just modify the source files, but it’s impractical for everyone to do that. So you need to add a config file.
  • You can just drag the output files into place, but that’s impractical for everyone to do. So you need to package it.
  • You trust yourself, but distro maintainers rightfully don’t. So you need to package your source code and configure the package to compile it.
  • You will abide by your idea of how the software should be used, but other people might not. So you need to pick a license.

Sometimes I think there must be an easier way, but I can’t think of any. I guess it probably gets easier with experience.

  • swnt@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    For the first and second point however, I’ve learned that whatever the others don’t know today, that’ll be my state of lack of knowledge in a few months or years. Anything that isn’t a one off script I generally document/comment because I’ve had some projects when I was young, and couldn’t work in them after a few months of break because I didn’t understand anything.

    That’s when I understood, that “others” is just me in a few months.

    • mineapple@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      Once, I searched for a very specific thing about my laptops power throtteling behaviour and found an reddit post with an answer to it. After reading it, I saw my own username next to it :D I seemingly dug down that rabbit hole a couple of months prior.