There Is Enough Space for Everyone

There is enough space for everyone. This needs to be said. I am tired of seeing communities and projects compete for what they perceive as limited resources. More people are getting into software development every day. All people need choice and room to decide what languages, frameworks, and tools they want to use. Naturally, the means that people prefer will rise to the top. Will these tools always be the most sound, the best technology, or the best user experience? We all know the answer, probably not. What I do know is that we still need the competition. The competition drives innovation and improvement. If that happens, then all the languages, frameworks, and tools will get better.

There seems to have been this trend lately that people want less diversity. They want everyone to work on their favorite project. Sometimes, people want more help but don’t want to let the community help shape the project. That is part of the process and why we have so many different competing projects. People have different perspectives that may not align with how to approach a problem. Either you accept and come up with a solution that brings them along with your project, or they may start their own. We then end up with more issues than we had if everyone worked cooperatively together and supported each other. I have seen some communities where everyone wants everyone else to succeed. That kind of thinking seems healthy? Is the first line of thinking have more enterprisey, businessy influence at play in the thinking? I don’t know, and I feel that it isn’t the best for the community.

This brings me to the last point, the community. Many of these ecosystems need a healthy and thriving community. A community with tribalism that exists in pockets, a scarcity attitude, and little cooperation isn’t going to grow. People won’t enter because they see the behaviors and patterns that turn them off. This last point has personally happened to me, and it has taken me a few years to come back around. Also note, that while individuals influence this, it’s not necessarily the “point source” for these issues. It’s more the culture and groupthink that happens.

Thanks for reading,

Jamie

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