Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on January 05, 2004 10:42 PM
Mr Stallman asks the question, "What does it mean to run free software?". Each person or organization who chooses an open source OS, application or other tool over a proprietary one chooses to do so for a their own reasons. In this article Stallman discusses why he chose this path but he is arguing that each person or organization should make the choice for the same reasons he did, with the same motivation.
Stallman asserts that "non-free software carries with it an antisocial system that prohibits coopoeration and community." This is certainly overstating the importance of software's influence on each person's ability to cooperate and experience community. And I assert that this is where the open source movement fails.
While open source software promotes cooperation and community for the developers involved in its creation, it doesn't attempt to build community by creating more user friendly tools.
The general popluation doesn't care about the right to see the source code, most of the users of computers can't do any thing with the code any way. Open source project managers and developers need to better consider their end users. End users are not always other programmers, some are teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, housewives, grandparents.
Usability for the community at large must go beyond RPMs and a GUI that mimics Windows. Usability must extend into high quality instructional programs that provide the information at the user's fingertips. Job aids and other electronic performance support tools that address the needs of the non-developer community will do more to foster cooperation and community between the developers and their users.
Organizations like the FSF and SEUL need to consider how to partner include Instructional Systems Design (ISD) and change mangement experts into their projects. After all what good is any application free or not without a high probability of end user acceptance.
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Open Source and Broader Community
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on January 05, 2004 10:42 PMStallman asserts that "non-free software carries with it an antisocial system that prohibits coopoeration and community." This is certainly overstating the importance of software's influence on each person's ability to cooperate and experience community. And I assert that this is where the open source movement fails.
While open source software promotes cooperation and community for the developers involved in its creation, it doesn't attempt to build community by creating more user friendly tools.
The general popluation doesn't care about the right to see the source code, most of the users of computers can't do any thing with the code any way. Open source project managers and developers need to better consider their end users. End users are not always other programmers, some are teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, housewives, grandparents.
Usability for the community at large must go beyond RPMs and a GUI that mimics Windows. Usability must extend into high quality instructional programs that provide the information at the user's fingertips. Job aids and other electronic performance support tools that address the needs of the non-developer community will do more to foster cooperation and community between the developers and their users.
Organizations like the FSF and SEUL need to consider how to partner include Instructional Systems Design (ISD) and change mangement experts into their projects. After all what good is any application free or not without a high probability of end user acceptance.
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