Being considerate of other people's time

Tomas Vondra's insights highlight a critical aspect of open source development: the need to respect and optimize the time of fellow developers. By emphasizing the 'economy' of time, he encourages contributors to think strategically about their submissions, which can minimize wasted effort in the review process.

Contributors are often tempted to submit patches without making minor improvements that could save others' time. This approach can lead to unnecessary back-and-forth in reviews, ultimately slowing down the project. By taking the time to address these minor issues beforehand, contributors can help maintain an efficient workflow.

Vondra also addresses the treatment of experimental or work-in-progress (WIP) patches. While these are essential for gathering feedback, labeling them appropriately is crucial. This allows reviewers to adjust their expectations and focus on high-level feedback rather than nitpicking incomplete code, leading to more productive discussions.

The advice given is applicable beyond the Postgres community, as it underscores a universal principle in collaborative environments: valuing time leads to better outcomes. When contributors prioritize efficiency, it can significantly enhance the overall productivity of the project.

Lastly, Vondra's observations about the bottlenecks in the review process highlight the need for continuous improvement in how contributions are managed. Fostering a culture of time consideration can help address these bottlenecks and improve the project's responsiveness to contributions.