Robert's post "SeaMonkey Project Goals - The Summary/Excerpt" and a
recent request for help "BookMarks,,,,, hope this group is better
than others" on the FF NG triggered some thoughts I wish to share:
- Den's post of the FF NG requested such a simple information - which
had not been answered by respectable members of that NG - that I
hesitated answering it, for fearing of missing the obvious and making a
fool of myself. I finally did (not make a fool of myself ...), and my
answer was exactly what the OP expected. Fact 1
- Robert's post about info gathering with respect to the future of SM.
Fact 2
Question 1 - How do we make SM a realistic choice for basic computer
users, meaning those who tend to be satisfied with what they get when
they buy a machine. Vista and all its BS, unavoidable Explorer.
Question 2- How do we bring this user who made the initial step
subscribe to our NG, how do we make him feel at home and what respect do
we show for his lack of knowledge.
Question 3 - How do we manage to satisfy basic needs (read, needs from
people who just want to get there and who do not care how) while
catering to the enthusiast crowd most of us belong to.
I do not claim to have the answers to those questions but keeping them
in mind might help show the way.
"A chaos of constant innovation would, I think, be one sure way to
frighten away a large percentage of the current SeaMonkey community"
To some, this sentence from Robert's post might mean that we are a bunch
of idiots unable to move forward. To others like me, it just means that
innovation is good only to the extent it makes things more useful, or
more powerful, or both, while keeping them simple.
This make me come back to Den's post about bookmarks in FF that was so
simple that nobody saw the light. Granted, bookmarks are a sensitive
subject for me, among others. But does not this show us the need for
simplicity and clarity?
From this rambling, I come to the conclusion that we must not be misled
by our enthusiasm or find excuses behind software technical
considerations: SM must be a software which has its own personality, who
makes the user feel at home and who welcomes enthusiasts by way of
add-ons (extensions?) while offering a solid, simple and clear base.
Innovation means nothing if the end result is not *clearly* better, from
a user's stand point, the only one that matters. I believe this is the
way to develop a faithful following of users and promoters of the
software we believe in.
--
John Doue
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