What do users expect of a Desktop? [RE: [GnomeMeeting-list] 2.4 Proposed Modules - GnomeMeeting]

[Andrew Coulam <aigiskos yahoo com>]

I think Damien is correct when he says that we all
have to figure out how to define "GNOME Desktop"
before we argue which specific applications will form
a part of that desktop (yes, I know, too late). [1]

A better way to define that term is by asking what
applications users will expect to be bundled with a
desktop.

The easy answer is that since most users will be
migrating from a MS Windows environment, whatever
applications Microsoft bundles with its desktop
environment, GNOME should supply the equivalent
applications.  On the other hand, some will counter
that we might want to do better than just mimic
Microsoft.  Nonetheless, what Microsoft users might be
expecting should be a consideration.

This brings up an important point: in order to
understand what the users are expecting, we have to
know our target audience: who are our intended users?
[2]

It seems to me (IMHO) that we have three primary types
of users that we are targeting: (a) joe-corporate-user
working at the office, (b) system administrator, and
(c) power-user/software developer.  (a) and (b) are
likely lower-hanging fruit for distributions that are
trying to gain market-share. [3]  (b) and (c) are
potential developers for our software.

How do the proposed applications fit into our idea of
the expectations of these three groups?  If you agree
with my three user-types, then this is the question we
should be asking.

Here's a list of possible application types in no
particular order of importance:

Accessories
     calculator
     character map
     simple paint program
     accessibility applications
     simple text editor
     [more?]
Web browser
Communication Applications
     IM
     Email
     Video Conferencing
Multimedia
     Sophisticated graphics program [bitmap|vector]
     Media player
     CD player with playlists
     [Video|Sound] editor?
Office
     word processor
     spreadsheet
     presentation program
     database program
     [email app here?]
     [video conferencing app here, since businesses 
          mostly use this?]
     [financial application like GnuCash?]
etc. 

I'm sure there are more categories.  Of the above
categories (or any others), what are the users
expecting to see bundled with their desktop and fully
integrated with their desktop?  If users are saying to
themselves, "What?  Where's the web browser?  I have
to download this?  How lame!" then *we* have screwed
up.

At any rate, I'll go back to lurking now.  I hope this
has been helpful.

~Andrew


[1] For those who say that it doesn't matter because
the distributions will package applications anyway, I
respectfully disagree.  What GNOME puts out as its
Desktop-bundled applications is a *suggestion* to
distributions as to what GNOME thinks they should put
out as well.  Redhat, Mandrake, Suse, Debian, or [name
your distribution here] might disagree and bundle
other applications.  On the other hand, some
distributions might take GNOME at its word at bundle
the suggested applications and change *nothing*.  So,
we should think carefully about what we put in there.

[2] This question goes to Seth's and Havoc's personas
idea, I guess.

[3] The theory goes that if corporations, which are
cost-sensitive, adopt [Linux|*BSD] on the desktop, the
office workers will become familiar with the operating
systems and start using [Linux|*BSD] at home too.

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dissertus scribendo latine videri volo.

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