I’m not complaining, but I didn’t realize how much work it was. It makes me really respect the people who do it on a regular basis.

For example:

  • You know how to use your software, but other people don’t. So you need to write documentation.
  • You can just modify the source files, but it’s impractical for everyone to do that. So you need to add a config file.
  • You can just drag the output files into place, but that’s impractical for everyone to do. So you need to package it.
  • You trust yourself, but distro maintainers rightfully don’t. So you need to package your source code and configure the package to compile it.
  • You will abide by your idea of how the software should be used, but other people might not. So you need to pick a license.

Sometimes I think there must be an easier way, but I can’t think of any. I guess it probably gets easier with experience.

  • @[email protected]
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    fedilink
    361 year ago

    I’ve seen a chart where software development complexity grows 3 times on each of these steps. For example:

    • implement a business logic: 1 day
    • cover with tests: 1 * 3 = 3 days
    • write documentation: 1 * 3 * 3 = 9 days
    • make it installable by other users: 1 * 3 * 3 * 3 = 27 days