Here's another quick phlog post as a way to test out the chalk
editor even more, and to mention an idea that sloum and I were
discussing recently.
pubnixes as collaborative software development laboratories
Software development is one of the pillars of the pubnix
community, and a common theme is development of simple, open
source software that continually improves through use and feedback
from other pubnix community members.
An important but often overlooked implication of this is that
users have an important role to play -- that is, critically
using software and providing constructive feedback to the
developer. This is a form of collaboration distinct from the
more common concept of repo-oriented co-development.
In many pubnixes, the users are predominantly software developers,
especially if you include scripting in that category. But pubnix
members can play both roles, developer and user/tester. The
latter role is very valuable!
I have enjoyed colorfield.space for the reasons mentioned in a
previous phlog post, but also because it has been fun to test
software out, provide feedback, and watch as sloum has rapidly
updated software (and the colorfield.space system itself) in
response.
Whether you're a software developer or just hanging out in a pubnix
for the social environment, I challenge you to find opportunities
to help developers out by critically using software and providing
thoughtful feedback to the developer. It's a great way to help
the pubnix community grow!
