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Ask Slashdot: How Do You Explain 'Don't Improve My Software Syndrome' Or DIMSS?

dryriver writes: I am someone who likes to post improvement suggestions for different software tools I use on the internet. If I see a function in a software that doesn't work well for me or could work better for everyone else, I immediately post suggestions as to how that function could be improved and made to work better for everybody. A striking phenomenon I have come across in posting such suggestions is the sheer number of "why would you want that at all" or "nobody needs that" or "the software is fine as it is" type responses from software users. What is particularly puzzling is that its not the developers of the software rejecting the suggestions -- its users of the software that often react sourly to improvement suggestions that could, if implemented well, benefit a lot of people using the software in question. I have observed this happening online for years even for really good software feature/function improvement ideas that actually wound up being implemented. My question is -- what causes this behavior of software users on the internet? Why would a software user see a suggestion that would very likely benefit many other users of the software and object loudly to that suggestion, or even pretend that "the suggestion is a bad one?"

4 of 388 comments (clear)

  1. Frog wanker by Hognoxious · · Score: 1, Funny

    If you didn't write crap like "a software" people might take you & your ideas more seriously.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  2. Obligatory XKCD by hudsucker · · Score: 5, Funny

    Because every change breaks someone's workflow. https://xkcd.com/1172/

  3. Re: Becaue you aren't offering to do the work. by ProzacPatient · · Score: 4, Funny

    Unless it is Blender since I have to relearn the interface anyway every time I use it

  4. Re:Reminds me of this one: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    How about this one?

    User bug report, description: Your cow is broken. The milk is difficult to extract and tastes funny.
    Issue status, resolved: This behavior is by design. The "cow" is a bull.