I know that one example does not a complete refutation make, but:
The One in Which I Say Open Source Software Sucks
11–20 of 106 posts
Re: The One in Which I Say Open Source Software Sucks
#12Firstly, open source does (or can easily) have one big usability advantage: installing things, assuming it's on a repository, is much easier. Or, at least, it's very close to there; I haven't asked a lay user how useful they find the "Add Application" menu in Gnome. But assuming it's not already done right, once it is, that's a huge advantage. Secondly, so we've admitted that non-company-backed open source projects c…
What economic model are you referring to?
The electronic gift economy. People collaborating and working for free to produce electronic goods.
The point of the article is that, so far, open source only works when there's a company behind it, and companies are structured the way they are, I would argue, because of their profit motive.
Re: The One in Which I Say Open Source Software Sucks
#13To get great usability - you need paying users clamoring for it. To implement it, you need central control around a unifying cognitive model. Open source is bad at usability because FOSS projects are controlled by committees that can't even assign tasks, let alone create and enforce coherent cognitive models and elegant interfaces that express them. You could have good FOSS usability - if you had a central company dr…
That's the conventional wisdom, but I'm not sure I believe it. It takes (much) longer for an app's usability to mature without some central arbiter, but "you need" it is far too strong a statement.
Re: The One in Which I Say Open Source Software Sucks
#14Isn't the main problem for OSS adoption advertising? If you are a graphic artist and don't give a rat's behonkus about computers do you really dig until you find the GIMP(and the continual slog for documentation and understanding) or do you read graphic artist monthly with big color Photo Shop ads, Photo Shop books on B&N's book shelves, and training courses. The choice is just about made for you, in their world Phot…
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Re: The One in Which I Say Open Source Software Sucks
#15Truly, this is a novel and intriguing opinion.
Re: The One in Which I Say Open Source Software Sucks
#16Strangely enough, I'm using Linux precisely because proprietary software is painful to use. For example, searching for software with google to download it, trying to determine if the source is reliable, and clicking through a manual installer is way too tedious - it should be at my fingertips. Also, at least when compared to Windows (where everyone and his brother seems to feel the need for a custom and flashy toolki…
Having a central repository that handles version dependencies and upgrades ... is great.
But let's be honest here: whenever a newer version of a software package is released, it can take months before it enters sid on Debian, or in Ubuntu, and these are the better-maintained distros.
And if you want to distribute proprietary software, maintaining multiple packages for multiple distributions and multiple versions, is hell-like.
And regarding interface guide lines, I do not agree that Linux apps have a standard. Quite the contrary.
Re: The One in Which I Say Open Source Software Sucks
#17To get great usability - you need paying users clamoring for it. To implement it, you need central control around a unifying cognitive model. Open source is bad at usability because FOSS projects are controlled by committees that can't even assign tasks, let alone create and enforce coherent cognitive models and elegant interfaces that express them. You could have good FOSS usability - if you had a central company dr…
You can also get great usability from a lead developer with taste, and people that are actually interested in using the software.
Profit is certainly not the only incentive that drives people. Saving time and effort by fixing problems (usability and otherwise) is also a great motivator.
Re: The One in Which I Say Open Source Software Sucks
#18To get great usability - you need paying users clamoring for it. To implement it, you need central control around a unifying cognitive model. Open source is bad at usability because FOSS projects are controlled by committees that can't even assign tasks, let alone create and enforce coherent cognitive models and elegant interfaces that express them. You could have good FOSS usability - if you had a central company dr…
You can also get great usability from a lead developer with taste, and people that are actually interested in using the software. Profit is certainly not the only incentive that drives people. Saving time and effort by fixing problems (usability and otherwise) is also a great motivator.
And yet it never works out that way on very many projects. Why is that?
Re: The One in Which I Say Open Source Software Sucks
#19To get great usability - you need paying users clamoring for it. To implement it, you need central control around a unifying cognitive model. Open source is bad at usability because FOSS projects are controlled by committees that can't even assign tasks, let alone create and enforce coherent cognitive models and elegant interfaces that express them. You could have good FOSS usability - if you had a central company dr…
That's the conventional wisdom, but I'm not sure I believe it. It takes (much) longer for an app's usability to mature without some central arbiter, but "you need " it is far too strong a statement.
Without a central arbiter, an app's usability never matures.
Re: The One in Which I Say Open Source Software Sucks
#20Isn't the main problem for OSS adoption advertising? If you are a graphic artist and don't give a rat's behonkus about computers do you really dig until you find the GIMP(and the continual slog for documentation and understanding) or do you read graphic artist monthly with big color Photo Shop ads, Photo Shop books on B&N's book shelves, and training courses. The choice is just about made for you, in their world Phot…
GIMP and Inkscape are not ready for prime-time. (And as always at this point: They lack proper support for CMYK, Fonts, Color-Management, Workflow in big publishing and printing shops.) Never mind the usability desaster that the GIMP represents for anyone who is accustomed to PS.