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Comment by novocantico | Hacker News Reader

A few months ago I went to install Notepad++ and the installer says "Software is like sex: It's better when it's free" so I closed and deleted the installer. (It still says that today.) Glad to see an alternative I can install!

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It's nice to see freedom at play here — freedom of the developers to include sentences which might offend, and freedom of the offended to use a fork instead. I respect both of your decisions.

I don't understand the problem. Do you think all sex should be a paid transaction with cash, or are you just opposed to people using the word?

And could said transaction be paid for with free software instead?

You do understand the problem but have taken a hard stance. I mean at this point what is crossing the line? Would we all be up in arms if the developer decides to say: "Butt f*ck your best friend"

The point I'm making is that there are lines to be crossed and if you don't understand that you have simply taken a hard stance on some aspect of this.

That all being said, YES I totally agree the dev should have full rights to say that in his software - but we can have an opinion too.

Well, there are places that certain words (e.g. sex) appearing on a screen will get you in trouble with management because it could fall under HR's harassment policy. I know folks don't give a damn, but some people have to worry about such things.

We have notepad++ in a corporate environment. So it seems it it easy to disable the message.

Or most people don't stand around reading installer installer dialog boxes on other employee's screens all day.

Only takes one idiot. I get the feeling a lot of folks on HN don't have to deal with the fun of the terminally offended.

If it can be installed with chocolatey, it can be installed in an unattended way.

I think the problem is likely stigmatizing sex workers as less desirable which is sort of narrow-minded and perhaps dehumanizing. There's a large imposition of morality that isn't necessarily shared by everyone.

I don't think that's what is being said here. Sex is better when it's free, because then it's likely enriched with some kind of emotional bond (even if not love), whereas in case of paid sex you're just getting a service. Regardless of what the N++ developer(s) think, the statement doesn't criticize prostitution.

Your statement is valuing one form of sex over another. The point is that value isn't held by everyone, and asserting it as fact is diminishing someone else's entirely legitimate perspective.

Conversation is pointless as OP has now responded saying he simply doesn't like hearing about sex.

Yes, I shared my opinion, I'm aware it was subjective. If sharing one's opinion is diminishing someone's perspective and that's bad, then why did you just do the same? On a similar matter, if conversation is pointless, why did you bother to write your message? :D

You're all overthinking it. I just don't like to hear about sex when I'm writing software. Is that so hard to imagine?

Is it hard to imagine that a single sentence in the installer about sex offends you so much that you refuse to use the software? Yeah that's kinda hard for me to imagine.

In a world of many, many alternatives, I feel like someone's preferences can be as arbitrary as they want them to be. It's less a statement about the magnitude of the offense and more of a statement of "I have all of these options. Why would I pick one that annoys me, even slightly?"

To use a hypothetical example - a cereal company puts some tasteless comment in an unobtrusive corner of the box. You don't have to look at it if you don't want to - you can turn the box, or put the cereal into another container, or just not read the box that closely. But why would you want to when there are 45 other brands of cereal on the supermarket shelf?

It's in the installer not the splash screen for christ sake. You'll see it a grand total of one time, maybe have a more easygoing friend install it for you?

The funny part is, he's already seen it and been offended. Cancelling the installation and deleting it is not preventing any future offense.

I aim to be pragmatic and principled.

"Principled" is a rather neutral designation. All it means you have strict rules. As to whether those rules are at all useful is not included in that designation.

What exactly is the principle at play here?

There seems to be at least one person agreeing with you: https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/issue...

If I understand that history correctly, they tagged it "reject" which I'm taking to mean they won't change that text.

The author's (donho) Github profile reads:

> GitHub is my Tinder, to flirt with developers, by using the romantic source code poetry.

I don't think he gaf whether people are offended by the word "sex".

He constantly names Notepad++ releases after political topics he does not like, he's very political.

And if you look at the things he's covered, he seems to be a good person.

It apparently only does take 3 characters to offend people.

I love this guy

I think we should more of this stuff to hopefully desensitize people over time. When abstract symbols can somehow evoke such a visceral reaction in a person, that's the kind of stuff that scares me.

Side note: Remember winamps start audio?

I don't really see where the problem lied but whatever. Sounds strange to base a (free) software choice on a note in an installer.

It is my experience as a developer of a text editor, that text edtor/IDE users make the decision whether to learn/use an editor within seconds. Just a quick look and it has been decided, in 3 seconds what they will spend their next 10000 hours working with. I do not understand this, but it is a phenomena. It's like when we look at the opposite sex and decides if he/she might become our future partner and live the rest of our life together - and the decision is made within seconds. At least the filtering-out.

notepad++ site is so political, do not like that, stopped using it for years... it is the author's freedom for sure.

Trying to understand this sentiment. Why does it matter? What do the authors’ politics have to do with using the software or not? Do you generally avoid any company that does any political speech?

I formulate opinions of people when I hear their political leanings; usually negative ones. I have no reason for this, and frankly, I don't want to do it. It just happens.

And yes, I do avoid companies with outspoken political views that I disagree with, especially if their actions tangibly harm other people.

The breaking point for me was back when I updated my beloved Notepad++ and it started typing something ominous into a text file. I couldn't stop it so I unplugged the network in panic because I thought I was being hacked by a script kiddie. Then I actually read what was written, and it was a current political message. I would really like my tools to not give me a jumpscare.

P.s. Just one of the relevant reddit threads https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/2ubv7w/notepad_je...

People disagree very easily in political matters. And when I am trying to focus on work or my personal projects I don't need to be roped into some pointless ideological discussion or metal state. For that we can go to HN

It works like advertisement for ideology

Imagine you are installing Chrome and the installer shows a banner saying: we support Trump, Biden, Ukraine, Russia, China, invading Iraq... You might then feel uncomfortable using/contributing to software that has nothing to do with politics, because of a developer founded/random/misguided opinion

I don’t really care, but it’s a bit childish. At least it’s not mentioned anywhere else when you’re using it.

For me, I try to avoid politics in general since I’m (along with everyone else) so inundated with it on a daily basis. It’s so wonderful and refreshing to find places where it doesn’t exist and isn’t mentioned. No matter how much bad is going on in the world we all need to be able to mentally escape it. It’s just one of those vital things.

So when you go to download the newest version of one of your fav text editors and you’re faced with messages like “you guys support who I support in the war right?! You should because the other guy is crazy! I stand with this side, I’m literally changing the world!” and I just gotta sigh and roll my eyes. Sir this is an Arby’s.

I created a pull request to change this text. Let's hope it'll be accepted ;)

https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/pull/...

You can install either one.

You're choosing not to. However I do agree, that is idiotic text to include.

For real?

Wheres the problem with this sentence?

It's nice when I come across a readme that's playful and doesn't take itself very seriously. It shows the real humans behind the software.

This is something else.

What is it?

Why is catcalling offensive but flirting welcome?

Can you elaborate on how you feel this sentence relates to catcalling or flirting?

No.

Ti and Do and their students (crew) have come from a genderless, crew-minded, service-oriented world that finds greed, lust, and self- serving pursuits abhorrent.

Marshall Herff Applewhite Jr.

what's up with that

You prefer paying for sex?

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