Re: Software speech opinions

["Albert E. Sten-Clanton" <albert.e.sten_clanton@verizon.net>]

> I would ask people spouting off in this thread to ask themselves what *they* 
> have contributed. It seems to me that a lot of people are making suggestions 
> for what other people should do or sell.
> 
> Say the best thing to do is to move speakup into user space. How is that 
> going to get done? I guess we're all going to volunteer Kirk to do it. Eh?

You seem to be saying that the mere users should keep their traps shut.  In real life, a good majority of the people who use computers will know little or nothing about how to fix the problems that arise.  Do you really propose that these people, such as my wife, have no business complaining or suggesting because they're not ultranerds?

As for myself, I do intend to learn enough to work on speakup and other code.  I'm a programmer; that stuff grabs me; I hope to make a living at it again.  but if I were to try to "contribute" at the moment, the worst code ever found in the kernel or in Speakup would look like utter beauty and perfection compared to what I'd write.  You'd want me executed for pretending I could do anything useful!  Yet, for me to learn what I need to, I need things to work well enough, just like the users I know who'd rather swallow thumbtacks than write programs.  I can think of no reason I should refrain from making suggestions for improvement, if I treat people right when I do it.

Nobody here said that he or she had appointed Kirk to do all the work folks want.  Kirk would probably punch out anybody who tried to do that.  Ignorant as I am, however, I think I can tell that a number of people on this list know enough to do the job, and maybe some of them will when they have the time.  If so, I'd bet the suggestions put here will be of some help to them in deciding how best to use that time.  If that doesn't happen, well, then those of us who can't do the job, for whatever reasons, will either endure the problems or look for a better system.

Al