Neilsen on [Free Software] Desktops

[Jeff Waugh <jdub perkypants org>]

Found in another Orlowski special, this tidbit from Jakob Neilsen. Can we
avoid this being the GNOME norm?

  On Linux desktops...
  
  Will Linux desktops innovate? No. I don't think of that as being the
  solution: because it's open source.

  It doesn't lend itself to coming up with new paradigms. The one thing it's
  very good thing at is designing software for other hackers, for other
  nerds, really.

  That's their skill and that's their strength - there's a thousand nerds to
  look at it. If something doesn't work it's going to be a debate on the
  mailing lists and it's going to be fixed.

  But that's a bad method for complex decision management or business
  professionals or this next generation of home users, because that requires
  a very different project management approach, a clear vision.

  They're great programmers and that's very nice, and it generates good
  stuff for that environment, but it's a little sandbox.

  For example they're so proud once they've ported [sic] PowerPoint. But
  that doesn't give us a new way of doing presentations.

  To do that you 've got to follow business people around all day and study
  them and ask them what they need.

  Microsoft did that and finally got a feature I like out of that: where you
  get a preview of the next slide while you're giving a presentation.
  Everyone who's every given a talk will tell you that: I have to print an
  extra copy of the presentation off - even with my 1Ghz computer I have no
  extra benefit, because I can only see what the audience can see.

  But why did it take them years?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/22239.html

- Jeff

-- 
     GDK (acronym): GNU's Not Unix Image Manipulation Program Tool-Kit      
                                Drawing-Kit.