Re: Does Open Source Have a 'Working For Free' Problem?

On Mon, 29 Apr 2019 12:12:48 +1200, Peter Reutemann quoted:

> 'Look around. We do have a problem, and it's time we do something about
> it.... '

There is a problem, but I don’t think it’s what he thinks it is. The
problem is one of lack of respect. Proprietary vendors seem to control
most of the agenda: features that proprietary products have are deemed
to be essential for open-source software to match, while ones unique to
open-source software are downplayed, even ignored.

For example, I point out in various online discussions that the
Microsoft Office “Ribbon” is actually a poor match for modern widescreen
monitors, because it reduces the height of the screen available for
seeing your document (most written documents being laid out in portrait
orientation), while the LibreOffice/OpenOffice “Sidebar” makes more
efficient use of the space. But the discussion about user interfaces
gets distracted by the whole “flat look” that is fashionable nowadays,
as though actual usability no longer matters.

It’s all down to advertising budgets. Proprietary vendors can afford to
spend millions to tell everyone how wonderful they are, while
open-source projects rely mainly on word-of-mouth.

I remember, at a developer conference back in the late 1980s, a
motivational speaker telling us that word of mouth is the most valuable
kind of advertising you can have, because you can’t buy it with mere
money; you actually have to have a product that the customer feels good
about using, and about recommending to others.

But the reality I see is that, with sufficient advertising budget, you
can indeed drown out the users’ voices.
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