Fwd: Re: What is your answer to solve the top inhibitor for the Linuxdesktop adoption? (was Re: [Desktop_architects] Most wantedApplication: Email)

[Aaron J. Seigo]

On Tuesday 03 January 2006 22:54, you wrote:
> really do think that we need to associate those _problems_ with
> specific changes we expect to see in Linux desktop adoption if we fix
> them.

if i were to draw a line between problem and result-upon-successful-slution,
i'd probably draw these two graphs:

0. provide clear documentation for developing on the open source desktop,
thereby lowering that particular barrier to software development
1. see more development occur, particularly in the application space, and
hopefully particularly in the vertical market spaces
2. decrease the barriers to using and deploying the open source desktop due
 to application non-availability, and thereby increasing the pace of adoption

we could measure this in terms of watching application availability decrease
as an issue in the market.

0. same as above
1. same as above
2. remove the "it's too expensive / an unknown quantity to develop in-house
software" barrier that holds back some (many?[1]) deployments

we could probably measure this in terms of how many custom/contract dev shops
deliver product for the open source desktop and extrapolate from there.

i don't expect the dev portal to magically on its own create the above chains
of events. i do think it'll be harder to achieve them without comprehensive
online documentation that extends beyond API docs.

does that resonate at all for You? (royal "you" there)

[1] i know of a few such situations personally. based on the "i'm not exactly
special" concept, i assume that if i know of a few of them there must be
many.

-- 
Aaron J. Seigo
GPG Fingerprint: 8B8B 2209 0C6F 7C47 B1EA  EE75 D6B7 2EB1 A7F1 DB43

Full time KDE developer sponsored by Trolltech (http://www.trolltech.com)
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