Thank You for the Code

You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit.

I've seen headlines recently like, "OSS is Dead." This has got me thinking about gratitude and the good it would do us if we were more grateful for the code we're given.

Have you ever served a kid food, and while they were eating it, mouth full, they ask for more? Or, have you heard these kids start whining that they didn't get what they wanted or not enough?

Your mouth is full. Your plate is full. More might be nice, but you've been served. The proper response is, "Thank you."

I feel similarly to code we are served. We use a lot of code that was simplify given to us. Someone made it for us.

We're using it. It's giving us some benefit.

To ask for more when our mouth is full is like filing an issue insisting that something is added or fixed to our liking, while we are enjoying the existing benefits. Sure, we can make kind requests, but only after gratitude is our first response.

You might not love everything put on your plate or that you clone from git. Sure, if you want some more flavor, shake some pepper on it, file a PR with an enhancement.

Did you find a hair in your food? Pull it out quietly, push it to the side, and file a PR with a bug fix.

You want to eat something totally different? Find someone else willing to feed you, fork, or start your own thing.

But importantly, if you are enjoying the meal and say, "thank you."

Probably more importantly, if it wasn't the best or not enough, but you've been served, say, "thank you."