Random sites are not tech support for my Emacs packages
I am prompted to write this by a recent event, though there is an underlying pattern there.
Ten days ago, a user of my modus-themes asked a question on the Emacs
subreddit.
They got no answer. I could not help because I do not check Reddit.
Yesterday, I was mentioned
explicitly
which sent a notification to my email inbox. I replied within a few
minutes after assessing the situation (even though I would rather not
use Reddit) and encouraged the user to check the official channels of
the package.
This morning the issue was reported in the GitLab mirror. As soon as I saw it, I helped the user figure out what the problem was. VoilĂ !
The moral of the story is never hesitate to contact me. I do not judge your skill level and will not discourage you from asking anything. There are no “stupid questions” and there is no need for you to be an expert on the subject matter. Please do not belittle yourself. This is a stress-free environment that is open to everyone: I am here to help.
- Every one of my Emacs packages has an official mailing list. All you need is to send an email. The address is mentioned on the mailing list’s web page.
- If that does not work for you, all my packages have two mirrors, one on GitHub and another on GitLab, both of which provide an issue tracker. I maintain those mirrors for the convenience of users.
- And if, for whatever reason, a public post is not an option, you are most welcome to email me in private, in which case I will not disclose your identity (unless you tell me otherwise).
Whatever you do, please understand that even though I wish to help, I cannot check a million websites for when something relevant is posted. My workflow is email-driven because it keeps me in Emacs and helps me stay productive.
Do not use Reddit, YouTube, or any other platform in hope that I will provide tech support—I will not see it and you may never find the answer you are looking for.