Randomthots wrote:
..
And, pray tell, how exactly are you a "customer" in the first place? You
paid how much for OOo? That's right! NOTHING!!!!
this is not the list to discuss things like this (and 'discuss' is not,
too ;) - maybe 'margeting'...)
i would like to ask you to stop and think for a moment. what is the
biggest thing that opensource projects get from their users ? the usage
of the program. after that comes bugreports, feature suggestions, maybe
contribution to documentation or even programming.
but the usage itself is the first step, and for many users it is the
only step. but it is bloody important.
there is one word that, i think, explains why every user of your softare
is your customer - marketshare. if we had completely open standards in
every aspect, it would not matter that much. unfortunately, we don't, so
we want more and more users for our products. if linux had bigger
marketshare, it would be easier to get linux compatible hardware. if
oo.org had bigger marketshare, it would be easier to pass our documents
around.
remember - every user contributes to the software by using it, because
it increases options for other users, increases recognition of the
product - and don't forget that many of them will contribute to mailing
lists, forums, will help their neighbours etc when they have
accustomized themselves.
such an attitude is the first step to killing off opensource projects.
maybe somebody is working on that already ? ;)
Let me tell you a story:
Last spring I decided -- in conjunction with a Linux class I was
taking -- to dive in head first and use Linux exclusively. This was
basically a test of the "ready for the desktop" rhetoric I was
continually hearing. One of the Windows programs for which I needed to
find a FLOSS equivalent was Microsoft Money, which I've been using every
day for about 13 years.
The best I could find was Gnucash, which IMNSHO blows as a
Quicken/MSMoney replacement. But I used it for that semester and at the
end I inquired on their mailing list as to how I could transfer my files
back to Money. I also gave a list of reasons why I didn't like the
program and what usability changes I felt needed to be made if the
program were to gain wide acceptance, particularly among Windows refugees.
I was promptly called a whiny child and basically told to go pound
sand. I got some very nasty comments direct from the developers (God,
i am not very well versed in english, but i would choose between 'being
complete asses', 'having their heads in their asses' and 'idiots'.
why would any company choose to make their products compatible/open, if
target audience is extremly small, unsocial and straightforward rude ?
what a bunch of prima donnas). Keep in mind I was talking about
day-to-day usability, not an installation procedure that you had to deal
with once every few months or so.
I learned my lesson. This is open-source; basically you take what
you can get and you either like it or you fix it yourself. In any case
there's no point in whining about it.
no, you did not learn your lesson. you should have learned that such an
attitude is unpleasant. why are you passing it to others ?
are you using the product now ? have you contributed a single
suggestion/bugreport since that day ? i know i would have not.
--
Rich
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
