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On caring for user data: NeoVim caused Vim undo files to be deleted

384 points · 346 comments · jandeboevrie

  1. recursivedoubts · · focus · HN ↗
    They are open source developers, giving away free software as a gift. There is no duty here.

    We can speak, respectfully, of how important backwards compatibility is to us, and ask nicely for them to give more of their time to support it when their free sodftware isn't backwards compatible. Perhaps we can even offer to help implement it.

    But they have no duty to do so or to "care" for their users. (They have already demonstrated they care for their users, btw, by giving them free software.)

    EDIT: I missed an important part of the story, which is that they mutated existing files in a non-backwards compatible manner. That should have been avoided, I understand where the (secondary) author is coming from now.

    1. xbar · · focus · HN ↗
      Oh my. This set of principles is appropriate for malware.
      1. manvillej · · focus · HN ↗
        If you don’t like how it works, go build your own.
        1. jeltz · · focus · HN ↗
          I already build software where I hold myself to a higher standard than malware, so not sure I get your point. Why not strive for a better world with good software?
          1. manvillej · · focus · HN ↗
            Your suggestion that it is malware is misleading. Malware is “any software intentionally designed to harm, disrupt, or steal data from computers”. I sincerely doubt that was the author’s intention.

            Everyone in open source is trying to write good software and the definition of good is subjective depending on overall design, features, ease of use, quality, and performance.

            If an open source project is missing a feature, go build it. If the project maintainers don’t want it, fork the project. Be the change you want to see in the world. That’s the beauty of open source.

            1. Chris2048 · · focus · HN ↗
              > If an open source project is missing a feature, go build it.

              > Be the change you want to see in the world.

              The feature being: don't delete my data belonging by another program? It's kind of too late once deleted isn't it? And now even that other program cannot use the data either.

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