Open Source Gis Is About the Users

Steve noticed a post by Asa Dotzler about Paul Ramsey assertion that open source GIS is about developers, not users.

You may have failed (or decided not to even try) to build a product for users and to attract users to that product, but that hardly qualifies you to hand down edicts about what open source is or isn’t about.

Read the whole post here.

Paul responds:

It is just straightforward observation that if you aren’t adding code, documentation, bug reports, or user support to a project, if you are just downloading and using the software, you are not adding any value to the project.

Actually, very true. See Gary Sherman’s post on diminished expectations. Just downloading uDig or QGIS and complaining that it isn’t ArcGIS helps no one. Open source GIS needs users to be involved by providing feedback to help grow the software. That said, you don’t have to do anything if you don’t wish, but complaining about the software without helping the developers doesn’t help anyone.


Tags
Thoughts

Date
August 29, 2006