this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2023
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I beg you, if you are a developer of an open source app or program - add screenshots of your app to the README file. When looking for the perfect app, I had to install dozens of them just to see what the user interface looked like and whether it suits me. This will allow users to decide if the app they choose will suit them... Please, don't think about it, just do it....

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[–] TCB13@lemmy.world 315 points 2 years ago (6 children)

Dear open source app user: feel free to improve the README file of the projects you come across by adding a few screenshots you believe are relevant.

[–] TCB13@lemmy.world 102 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Although I understand the OP's perspective open-source is a community effort and people should have a more proactive attitude and contribute when they feel things aren't okay. Most open-source developers aren't focused / don't have time for how things look (or at least not on the beginning). If you're a regular user and you can spend an hour taking a bunch of screenshots and improving a readme you'll be making more for the future the project that you might think.

[–] jecxjo@midwest.social 28 points 2 years ago (1 children)

When the last big Twitter migration to Mastodon occurred there were a lot new users complaining about things like documentation, bugs, etc. Old users and FLOSS supporters kept pushing the "its open source, write a doc or fill out a bug ticket" and evem included documentation on how to do those tasks.

Most people just continued to complain. /facepalm

[–] OrnateLuna@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 2 years ago (2 children)

We just don't live in a world where making the changes you want are encouraged. We have been thought to just accept whatever changes happen or at most file a suggestion that almost noone will listen to. Obviously open source is different but it's still such a tiny minority compared to how the rest of the world functions

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[–] IceMan@lemmy.one 66 points 2 years ago

As both user and developer - user CAN contribute but the developer/maintainer SHOULD add the screenshots.

[–] dogebread@lemm.ee 59 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This mentality explains a lot of open source.

[–] jelloeater85@lemmy.world 22 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Yeah, and please have EASY setup instructions or complied binaries.

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[–] KevonLooney@lemm.ee 22 points 2 years ago

If the app sucks, few people will add the screenshots. Therefore, most apps without screenshots will suck. So new apps will need the developer to add screenshots, or people will assume it sucks.

And we're back to square one. The developer has extra responsibility to highlight the features.

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[–] OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml 128 points 2 years ago (5 children)

While we're at it, I love that you let me customize the settings via a config, but for the love of god make the default config the best it can possibly be

[–] TheHobbyist@lemmy.zip 57 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This. It should be the most sane configuration and fit most use cases and lead to an experience working out of the box.

[–] charliespider@lemmy.ca 26 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I contribute to OS projects and work on one full time. EVERYBODY thinks that their obscure use case is the most common (not saying this is what you are doing).

We get users that are completely flabbergasted that our software doesn't offer some feature that is totally specific to their industry and has never been requested even once by anyone else previously. We'll show them our feature request form on our site where you can also view and upvote other requests, and point out that the feature they want has never been requested. They will literally come up with some bs excuse why that is and then insist that we get on it and build out this custom functionality that they need or else they're going to slander us on social media.

Your app doesn't integrate with "didLr"? OMG any decent app integrates with "didLr"!

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[–] GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org 13 points 2 years ago (1 children)

There's a real problem here with backwards compatibility. If you add an option for something, it makes sense to make the default match the functionality of old versions, even if it's not the best for general use cases. That way any tools built on top of it can safely update.

[–] charliespider@lemmy.ca 15 points 2 years ago

Ding ding ding!

That said, the solution is to set new defaults for new installations only and not change existing configs. Users lose their minds (rightfully so) if you modify their existing configs.

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[–] noodle@feddit.uk 92 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Sometimes I'd settled for a simple description of what the tool even is. Sometimes the readme is just straight into compilation steps and I feel like we're rushing into something.

[–] Shadow@lemmy.ca 28 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Foreplay is important! Gotta get me excited for that app.

[–] QuazarOmega@lemy.lol 14 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

🛠️ Building

To build the app install the gamete dependencies and run the following

make child
[–] Nioxic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 2 years ago (4 children)

A lot of documentation is like that.

Its terrible when the software is called some random word that has nothing to do with the programs functionality

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[–] CombatWombatEsq@lemmy.world 91 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Me, developing a headless component library:

[–] corytheboyd@kbin.social 38 points 2 years ago (2 children)

To be that dick, a headless component library is still meant to do something, show an example of it being used!

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[–] herrvogel@lemmy.world 26 points 2 years ago (1 children)

If you've written a "usage" section that showcases more than one uselessly simple example that doesn't even work in the project's current state, you're already far ahead of the average.

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[–] CoderKat@lemm.ee 15 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Even for a CLI tool, there should be a real world example showing how it works and what the output looks like. Eg, for jq:

$ cat file.json
{"field: "value"}
$ jq '.field' file.json
"value"

And a few other examples.

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[–] CrabAndBroom@lemmy.ml 68 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Also please begin the Github page or whatever with a description of what the app is actually for or what it does. I know that sounds super obvious, but the number of times I've seen links that are like "I made this app from scratch for fun, let me know what you think!" and then you click through and the app is called Scrooblarr or something and it has no indication of what it actually does is... more than it should be.

[–] charliespider@lemmy.ca 18 points 2 years ago (1 children)
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[–] xT1TANx@lemmy.world 41 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Wait what? I thought the read me file was to put as little info as possible to prove how awesome anyone was who can use the program.

[–] skankhunt42@lemmy.ca 16 points 2 years ago
[–] shalva97@lemmy.sdfeu.org 16 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Including the documentation link, which only has incomplete getting started section

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[–] gabe@literature.cafe 40 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Or at least a demo site if it's a web site or self hosted web based app 🥲

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 19 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I wish there was a way to give more props to open-source repos that do this.

I already star the project. But I'd love to say "Thanks for making a demo page it really helped!"

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago

Donations = props

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 38 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Agree, I don't know what's so hard about a screenshot.

[–] StudioLE@programming.dev 17 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I imagine most single developer projects lack any design or UX so the screenshot would do little to encourage users to download.

[–] RickyRigatoni@lemmy.ml 19 points 2 years ago

I can only speak for myself and a handful of other people I know who are into FOSS, but for us we care more about it being functional than looking pretty. I just want to see what I'm getting into, a reference for what a successful install looks like, or just check to see if it's got the buttons I want on it.

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[–] huojtkeg@lemmy.world 37 points 2 years ago

You should open a PR. 🙂

[–] FrostySpectacles@lemmy.ml 36 points 2 years ago (3 children)

As a user, I completely agree. People often make decisions in a few seconds, and you've done all this work developing an app. That little extra step will allow you to make a difference to more people!

As a developer of a Lemmy web UI, I've been thinking about adding screenshots to my README for weeks but still haven't done so 🙈

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[–] mojo@lemm.ee 31 points 2 years ago

Yup, if I don't see screenshots for a desktop applications, I don't bother since the developer clearly doesn't understand what they're doing. It's especially baffling when it's a WM/DE. It's really trivial effort too. If the devs don't get this basic point, it's going to reflect in their poorly designed UX/UI as well.

[–] leraje@lemmy.world 25 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Also, installation instructions that don't assume you're already an expert.

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[–] randint@lemm.ee 24 points 2 years ago (1 children)

100% agree! I always get so frustrated when there are no screenshots in the README.md or on the site.

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[–] gianni@lemmy.ml 22 points 2 years ago

I think this ties in to the grander idea of: please provide information that is helpful on a nontechnical plane of thinking. It goes a very long way

[–] bappity@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago

no pics no clicks, as they used to say

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