Re: roadmap status update/update request

[Kalle Vahlman <kalle vahlman gmail com>]

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 10:21:30 -0800, Eugenia Loli-Queru
<eloli hotmail com> wrote:
> >A feature will be implemented if and only if there is a developer who wants
> >to implement it, regardless of the number of votes it's received.
> Which is exactly why open source software will never replace commercial
> software or Microsoft.

I still am wondering why the OSS community should target big (or
small) software companies and try to shoot them down. That is not
going to make anyone happy, is it? That is the way of the companies,
they get happy if some competition sinks since it brings them more
money.

A more constructive goal for the OSS community is to set design goals
and try to reach them. Regardless of what 300k nerds say.
 
> Without market research to find out what "people want" you are codemning
> your software to be "the software of its developers" instead of the
> "software of the people". It is a short-sighted view on the evolution of the
> project. With great success, great responsibilities arise too. Sucks, I
> know. But that's the reality.

So you say that "great, you just spent six months of your personal
life to make this program that I use for free, now I want you to
implement this feature you do not want to even hear about. And just
because I said so."

The reality is that it is that OSS developers do make the software for
themselves, otherwise why bother making it at all? Nobody is *that*
nice.

But this really does not mean it could not be what the average user
wants at the same time, it is just a question of design. "Easy" and
"simple" are not Bad, they are Good for developers and users alike.

> Sure, no one wants to work for free for arrogant users that only know how to
> demand things like little children ask for candy (I realize, I am one of
> them),

It is good to be self-aware. It is even better to be aware of the
other side of the software too (there is people there, not machines).

> but the Project should have thought about this earlier, before
> releasing software to the world for public consumption and doing marketing
> pushes, and doing press releases and all that jazz. Keep it to yourself then
> and close down Bugzilla too.

I was not aware that GNOME has marketed itself by saying "ask, and we
will deliver". I always thought it was the usability and stuff that
was highlighted.

> You make Gnome sound ellitistic, and that's bad PR business to start with.
> 
> I can already hear Havoc in my head telling me "that's not how Free Software
> works", but you know what? Who cares how it works if its software is not as
> usable or full-featured as Microsoft's or Apple's?

You are still basing all of this on the fact that GNOME *has* to get
every MS user to drop their licences in amazement and go "wooo, GNOME
is the One True Way!".

If *any* of the OSS developers thought like that, there would not be
an OSS community, they all would have given up after a year of trying
to make it happen.

As a personal note, I do not give a rats ass if any of the MS userbase
turns around and comes to OSS, but I will still continue to support
and develop it since it is so awesome to see something like this come
together (mostly) just because a bunch of people thought it would be a
good idea.

The true motive to develope OSS is to use it, not to squash some big
time corporation. And if you look at how things have evolved, in fact
the big corporations are supporting the OSS more and more. Now if the
community was out there to get them, would that happen?

> Also, why have the devs get "angry" (as you said) for showing them a web
> page with the most wanted features? I TAKE  MAJOR OFFENSE as a user and a
> Gnome advocate & supporter, you telling me that the developers of a
> particular product don't even want to HEAR about what their users need. It
> makes me feel that Microsoft and Apple are WAY more friendly and more open
> to users' needs.

They seem to be motivated by the fact that users bring them loads of
money, go figure.

> Unlike most in this mailing list, "normal" people won't use
> OSS software because of political reasons, they will only use it only if it
> "does the job".

"Normal" people will not vote for any features on tech-oriented sites, either.
 
> Lastly, I realize that Gnome is not a democracy. It is still governed by its
> developers and I am perfectly ok with that. But that's not a reason to shut
> off the users out of the procedure and only "use" them for bug reports. It
> royally sucks to be a Gnome user these days.

Hey, there is always the "your money back" guarantee.

P.S. Yeah, probably not worth having this discussion here.

-- 
Kalle Vahlman, zuh iki fi