The Power of Old GitHub Issues

I’m starting believe that a rule exists such that if you file an issue on GitHub, the older it is, the more weight it has and the probability it’s taken seriously increases. As it gets older, the issue either gets randomly closed, or becomes like a space-twisting gravity well.

Let’s imagine a task like visiting the dentist. The more I postpone it, the more I’ll want to do it now as it reaches a nerve and hurts. Something like that happens with issues as well. When a bug report (or a request) is submitted, it starts living its own life, and the clock of decay starts ticking.

• The problem will be noticed by others and they’ll refer to it (due to the Single Cockroach Rule)
• Embarrassment may start building up. Why is this still hanging?
• Familiarity happens. People checking the list of open issues will read that one and postpone it many times, turning it to an old friend.

So even mildly unreasonable issues may eventually get done by the gravity of their own age.