The Illiteracy Problem on Curse.com

xtoq — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:43:15 GMT

I'm starting to be quite concerned about the apparent illiteracy problem I'm seeing in many of my favorite addons' comments. It seems many people - despite being able to write and spell fairly well - can't seem to read, and these are things I thought went together. Comment after comment after comment will ask questions, complain, whine, and cry about things that are explained (or linked to) in the description of the addon. I can understand when a developer hasn't taken the time to provide even a modest description or a screenshot, users are perfectly correct to request more information (those developers probably don't have a decent addon anyway), but it honestly seems to me that the users expect the developer to specifically drop them a line explaining everything, without any interaction on the user's part.

When did we become this nation of people without the ability to use even a fraction of our brains? Why can't people read before taking up the developer's valuable time and wasting comment space that can be used for appropriate questions?

The sad thing is that the developers either have to spend too much time answering questions that should be obvious or have already been answered, or risk looking like a jerk by not responding to their users. Honestly, people who can't read the addon description shouldn't be allowed to use addons.

I'd like to thank all the developers on Curse and similar addon sites for their dedication and determination, even when it must be extremely tiresome and redundant. These people create FREE complex products to make our gaming lives easier, and then get the fuzzy end of the lollipop by spoiled children who expect the world given to them on a silver platter. Addon developers, you are appreciated. Keep up the great work, and don't let the power of stupid people in large groups get you down. Darwinism isn't dead, it's just a little slower nowadays.

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The Illiteracy Problem on Curse.com