4 Aug
2011
4 Aug
'11
1:30 p.m.
On 4 August 2011 11:48, Alexandre Prokoudine
<alexandre.prokoudine(a)gmail.com> wrote:
So let's get this straight: Developers should stop moaning and just
get on and study the entire spectrum of human endeavour while
simultaneously developing usable software?
Do you think overreaction and exxageration will help the discussion?
I think not.
Sorry I was responding like-with-like (a bad habit of mine). I suppose
if I had a greater mental capacity for study I'd find the idea of
studying "everything that is even remotely related to human beings and
the world around us" more plausible, but as it goes, you make it sound
far too heroic... Either that or they're a jack of all trades master
of none. I could try not taking your word for it and find out for
myself what usability studies are all about.
But I can't be bothered.
You don't know the half of it.
I'm sure we'll both do our best in both cases :-)
Best
James
On Thu, Aug 4, 2011 at 2:23 PM, James Morris wrote:
Believe it or not, many developers do actually want to make usable software.
Well, I already said that here and now you can be either a
monotechnician with little to no user community or a, er,
dolby-surround-technician :) with a bigger community.
When you start a business, you don't hire hundreds of people all at
once. You do a hell of work yourself, *then* you hire people to
gradually substitute you so that you could focus on management or
whatever it is you do. Why should a free software project be any
different?
I'm all for getting all sorts of professionals
involved, but here and
now if we want to get anything done and we can't find people who are
better at design, usability and marketing than us, then we can either
keep moaning or bloody well study the stuff the best we can.
Fine, just don't take digs at developers who would rather develop
software. Believe it or not, many developers If you are on your tod with your project and you
refuse to larn new
stuff to get a potential to grow dev/user community, then you already
lost. Yes, you still have your pet project, but chances are that very
few people will care.
Well it's lucky then that I'm not driven by numbers isn't it?
I always feel that half the purpose of these crusades to make Linux
more user-friendly, more appealing to the mass-market, desktop-ready,
etc, etc, is to stamp out the small projects created by hobbyists.
They're too untidy when image is everything, and that's the real
reason you don't like Stallman, he has zero mass appeal, and is
passionate about freedom, and the freedoms are what allows the
hobbyists to exist and thrive (to some extent) within the Linux eco
system. Anyway that's just my suspicious feelings.
Do you think
usability architects focus on just usability? No, they
study every-fucking-thing that is even remotely related to human
beings and the world around us: art, architecture. physics etc.
Well let's all hail the new saviours! My, how big their brains must be! Perhaps you
should come up with some usable ideas.
Love your attitude :) >>>
Such activities are much better suited to people with big strong forceful
>>> opinionated personalities such as yourself.
>>
>> Me? No, I'm as humble as a lamb :)
>
> So you don't want to help developers by chasing government contracts for them?
When we first discussed using Linux in government institutions,
schools etc. here in Russia back in 2008 or so, the plan was to hand a
bagful of money to FOSS developers including those who are in
multimedia produuction niche. Then the cr*s*s got to us, and the
initial plan was buried due to all sorts of financial cuts. Needless
to say, if and when another opportunity arises, I will do my best.