Have you ever been scared or hesitant about reporting flaws or bugs to a community with a strong staunch fanbase ??
Obviously there are different ways of reporting and starting discussions, but I brought up the courage to report a flaw on a subreddit (not to be named) that I knew is very sensitive to criticisme, and I was flooded with downvotes and even was subject to gaslighting, so I gave up on that software and became even more hesitant about reporting problems on other FOSS communities .
Is this mindset very prevalent among all open source communities? have you faced something similar ?
Always try and lead with the compliments and only burn them after. Like a sweet curry laced with Scotch Bonnet.
Also in those communities where they have a mentality of them against the world, make sure you use we and us. Talk as if it’s something you want to solve together as a community, not something you’re expecting others to solve like an entitled person.
Chin up friend, you’ll have some setbacks, but your goodwill is appreciated.
I lack in diplomacy I must confess !
Generally the community isn’t even necessarily seen by the developers, especially if it’s big enough to have a lot of active users. They can’t track everything in the community. Centralized feedback is absolutely a godsend for developers. They can’t go searching for it.