Ten Ways to Make More Humane Open Source Software -
October 16th, 2007 in Design
Commentary Software Development
A lot of bandwidth has been wasted arguing over the lack of usability in open-source software/free software (henceforth “OSS”). The debate continues at this moment on blogs, forums, and Slashdot comment threads. Some people say that bad usability is endemic to the entire OSS world, while others say that OSS usability is great but that the real problem is the closed-minded users who expect every program to clone Microsoft. Some people contend that UI problems are temporary growing pains, while others say that the OSS development model systematically produces bad UI. Some people even argue that the GPL indirectly rewards software that’s difficult to use! (For the record, I disagree.)
Meanwhile, as these arguments swirl, I’ve been quietly relying on OSS to get my work done. As a professional developer, I spend my most of my time interacting with three programs, all of which are free and open source. I chose each out of dozens of alternatives precisely because I think each of them has the most humane interface in its category. Some OSS isn’t just usable, it’s more humane than the closed-source alternatives. One the other-hand, there’s plenty of OSS which is downright painful.
In an effort to understand usability in the OSS world, I’ve researched the stories behind my favorite — and least favorite — OSS programs. I’ve found a fascinating variety of personalities, design philosophies, and project organizations. Although I’ve only scratched the surface, there are already themes that come up again and again. Because everybody loves top-ten lists, I’ve distilled my observations into a top-ten list of OSS “do”s and “don’t”s.
