Hi Cameron, In my opinion a simple ranking/rating system probably isn't what projects like nor what new users helps very much. It becomes more of a competition then maybe, but many projects want to integrate rather than compete.
Let's take as example that I want to buy a TV at Amazon. I might look at the "stars" and the bestseller rank, but in the end I want to have detailed comparison. And that's what Ohloh does: it makes projects comparable according to some criteria like number of code lines, contributors, etc.. What Ohloh doesn't help with are the specific features of OSGeo projects, and that's something we might be able to provide. Something like a "compare projects" table, so new users can get an overview what one project provides what another one doesn't or what project is strong in and another isn't. Then new users can try out the ones that fit best to their individual needs. Best regards, Daniel 2010/7/3 Brian Hamlin <[email protected]> > > On Jul 2, 2010, at 8:50 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote: > > So our options are: >> * Avoid the question, and let new users try and guess which is the best >> project for them, spend a lot of time trying applications which don't cover >> their requirements, and get turned off Open Source before they even start. >> > > Hi Cameron- > > of course I am listening when you make this case > however, I don't find the above alternative a bad one at all.. > Avoidance is a word meaning perhaps something inevitable or required is > being side-stepped... > An OSGeo rating system of whatever kind is not at all inevitable or > required > > Simply by making choices in marquee billing, so to speak > an implied rating is made on significance and maturity. > Off the top of my head I would think this situation has some things in > common with > the music industry.. where there is not exactly a ranking at all, but some > trends are large and measurable > Ohloh is not a bad resource for a user to get a sense of context for a > project... > > So the answer, to not waste the time of the user, IMO > is to present, in graphic design or in features some way > the small, startup or obscure projects in the background > with the main lineup in the foreground > > quite do-able > > best regards > -Brian > > > _______________________________________________ > Live-demo mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/live-demo > http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Live_GIS_Disc > -- Georepublic UG & Georepublic Japan eMail: [email protected] Web: http://georepublic.de
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