Open Source?
Bruce Perens said: ???People love their iPhones, because their iPhones enable them in so many ways, [but] they don???t always understand that their iPhones also constrain them,??? and ???Open source is the only credible producer of software and now hardware that isn???t bound to a single company???s economic interest.???
I am not sure what the intent of this article is, to quote Bruce Perens or to discredit his opinion. Bruce???s quote: ???Let???s face it; most of us don???t even like users. We call them ???lusers???. We make the software for ourselves and the other developers. Why should we like them???? leaves a lot to be desired and discredits open source programmers as a whole and shows a lack of professionalism. Whether or not you are paid for your software, by making it useful for the intended audience will go a long way towards enhancing your reputation.
Yes, most people love their IPhones and Windows and Apple notebooks. That is because most of the people are not software engineers or IT people. Most do not understand how to program a computer and how to use or fix open source software. To most people out there, Linux and Unix are beyond comprehension. A simple GUI that Windows or Apple provides is enough for them and is much easier to interact with. Both in the business sector and the home sector. Most businessmen/women, homebodies, and students are not computer professionals nor have studied computers. They are just simple ???users???.
I am not an auto mechanic, but I still drive a car. I am not an appliance repair man, but I own a refrigerator. In both cases, there is the equivalent of open source parts and labor, but, usually of lower quality than well known brands. The same can be said of open source software. Open source software does not have anyone to turn to in the case of something going wrong. You may need to call in your computer smart friend or the geek squad.
Finally, to Bruce, Users are not Lusers. For without them, why post your works to open source. It is for their benefit, but only if it is usable and understandable by them. Yes, Sun did have a really good Office suite that was open source, usable, and free. But, much of the other open source software, does not work with the rest of the population.
