Devin wrote:
"
*1.) Developer releases software.
2.) Users download software.
3.) Users don't give feedback, or give very little feedback, on software.
4.) Developer doesn't continue to develop software because (s)he's
unmotivated to continue due to a perceived lack of community interest
and/or because his/her requirements for the software are satisfied.
5.) Bit-rot ensues.*
"
This is very interesting because it displays that Linux, as a hobbyist
operating system, has a very different motivational set. While on Windows
developers won't typically start writing software unless they have
researched the market and are sure it will be used, on Linux a developer
usually writes software for himself.
In fact, I think even bigger software, like Qtractor, is written as a hobby
(Rui, correct me if I am wrong).
In other words, software on Linux is usually developer-driven, not
user-driven. And this constructs a totally different community and attitude
and method of communication. Linux, at its core, is an operating system for
developers, for people who want to write their own stuff.
To rephrase it, I would also say that Linux Audio as an environment lacks
competition. You don't have to worry your software is out of date or that
someone else introduced a new feature. What is seen as duplicating features
by many is really a mechanism for quality and innovation. Here, on Linux,
there is no such thing as market competition. And thus - no natural
selection of software, so to speak.
L.V.