> as if that would even matter, as I've discovered that no one actually ever seems to look at open-source code
there are 3 circumstances in which i regularly look at open-source code:
a. i want to fix a bug or improve some rough UX.
b. i want to add new functionality.
c. i want to borrow something from it for use elsewhere.
you’re right that the better your code, the less likely i am to read it for reason (a). and the more sophisticated your code, the less likely i am to read it for (c), as i’ll be hunting for reusable libraries rather than cribbing directly from applications.
but consider that for any commercial product, i’m also less likely to read the code for reason (b) because of largely unwritten cultural norms (if i contribute code to a project that has paid devs and don’t get paid for that, it feels like i’ve been suckered).
this being an iOS app exacerbates all this because even if i find a bug and suspect a one-line fix that would be worth my time, i won’t pursue it because i have absolutely no idea how to deploy my patched version (i have to register with app store, maybe pay some licenses/fees, does Apple even allow me to distribute patched versions of someone else’s software?)
so, yeah, you’re not wrong, but you’re also working in a context that really amplifies what you witness around open source (and if you specifically want your beautiful code to be read by others maybe this shows which approaches are more/less likely to get that).
there are 3 circumstances in which i regularly look at open-source code:
a. i want to fix a bug or improve some rough UX.
b. i want to add new functionality.
c. i want to borrow something from it for use elsewhere.
you’re right that the better your code, the less likely i am to read it for reason (a). and the more sophisticated your code, the less likely i am to read it for (c), as i’ll be hunting for reusable libraries rather than cribbing directly from applications.
but consider that for any commercial product, i’m also less likely to read the code for reason (b) because of largely unwritten cultural norms (if i contribute code to a project that has paid devs and don’t get paid for that, it feels like i’ve been suckered).
this being an iOS app exacerbates all this because even if i find a bug and suspect a one-line fix that would be worth my time, i won’t pursue it because i have absolutely no idea how to deploy my patched version (i have to register with app store, maybe pay some licenses/fees, does Apple even allow me to distribute patched versions of someone else’s software?)
so, yeah, you’re not wrong, but you’re also working in a context that really amplifies what you witness around open source (and if you specifically want your beautiful code to be read by others maybe this shows which approaches are more/less likely to get that).