A lot of Free software developers end up taking a lot of flack
from some users. People demand to know why feature X wasn’t
implemented yet, or why feature Y was removed. They may keep flaming
about it long after any worth-while discussion has ended. As a result,
the developers’ time is wasted trying to deal with this person, and so
even less work gets done. The process becomes extremely frustrating
after you deal with the same complaint for the 50th time.
Next time you use a piece of software that someone has put their
free time into, think about what you can do to show your appriciation.
Maybe a simple thank-you, or a contribution to the project of your
own. It may go a long way towards making someone’s day a lot better.