This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Ruby Buzz by David Heinemeier Hansson. Original Post: Kindness is the currency of open source support Feed Title: Loud Thinking Feed URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LoudThinking Feed Description: All about the full-stack, web-framework Rails for Ruby and on putting it to good effect with Basecamp Latest Ruby Buzz Posts Latest Ruby Buzz Posts by David Heinemeier Hansson Latest Posts From Loud Thinking

As the world transitions its infrastructure from proprietary to open source, we need a cultural transition to fit. One of those transitions is the exchange of base-level support from paid vendors to passionate volunteers. It's a trade-off where you often get better-than-before information, but have to give up your I-can-scream-at-you-because-I-pay privileges.

It seems obvious that you can't invoke the same instincts in a samaritan transaction as you would in a commercial transaction. Your leverage to retract your contract or complain to the manager has been reduced to all but nothing. The people you are asking for help have no external obligations to assist you.

In simpler terms, don't expect anyone to help you if you're acting like an ass. You just simply have to be nice. Ask with courtesy, grace, and a humble attitude. Don't crash the party slinging accusations about how its everyone's fault but your own. Unlike the commercial world, you have to at least act like a decent human being when you ask the open source community for help.

That doesn't mean you are to become a subservient subject of the open source priests. Just that you recognize the switch of context and the new balance of power. You want something that someone else has. Since you can't say please with dollar bills, try words. You'd be surprised how well and often they work ever better than green.