Comments for obso1337.org http://weblog.obso1337.org The adventures of Human-Computer Interaction in Open Source Software Sun, 18 May 2008 07:49:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 Comment on Four Words for Funpidgin (Updated w/ comments) by Ryan http://weblog.obso1337.org/2008/four-words-for-funpidgin/#comment-145256 Ryan Sun, 18 May 2008 05:25:51 +0000 http://weblog.obso1337.org/2008/four-words-for-funpidgin/#comment-145256 I agree wholeheartedly. I can say that almost all the people who disagree with you are completely missing your point. Their promise: "Unlike the Pidgin developers, we believe the user should have the final say in what goes into the program." Is, as you put it, a slippery slope. Pidgin has so many users that it is not only impossible, but ridiculous to spew such blatant crap. To top the matter off, one of the primary rules of good design is that users do not know what they want. Frankly, 90% of users requests are utter stupidity and if all were implemented, people would be yelling at you to remove half of them, questioning your intelligence and tossing in remarks about sexual preferences. User feedback is good. User complete control of development is not good. FunPidgin has guaranteed the latter, Pidgen has ignored both. Both bad decisions. I agree wholeheartedly. I can say that almost all the people who disagree with you are completely missing your point.

Their promise:
“Unlike the Pidgin developers, we believe the user should have the final say in what goes into the program.”
Is, as you put it, a slippery slope. Pidgin has so many users that it is not only impossible, but ridiculous to spew such blatant crap. To top the matter off, one of the primary rules of good design is that users do not know what they want.

Frankly, 90% of users requests are utter stupidity and if all were implemented, people would be yelling at you to remove half of them, questioning your intelligence and tossing in remarks about sexual preferences.

User feedback is good. User complete control of development is not good. FunPidgin has guaranteed the latter, Pidgen has ignored both. Both bad decisions.

]]> Comment on Four Words for Funpidgin (Updated w/ comments) by iain http://weblog.obso1337.org/2008/four-words-for-funpidgin/#comment-145249 iain Sun, 18 May 2008 01:37:58 +0000 http://weblog.obso1337.org/2008/four-words-for-funpidgin/#comment-145249 "We want their feedback, but we also want to do what’s best for them." I would rephrase that as "We want users feedback, but we also want to do what's best for the software." Otherwise, I agree with you... “We want their feedback, but we also want to do what’s best for them.”

I would rephrase that as
“We want users feedback, but we also want to do what’s best for the software.”

Otherwise, I agree with you…

]]> Comment on Four Words for Funpidgin (Updated w/ comments) by finalbeta http://weblog.obso1337.org/2008/four-words-for-funpidgin/#comment-145246 finalbeta Sat, 17 May 2008 22:25:02 +0000 http://weblog.obso1337.org/2008/four-words-for-funpidgin/#comment-145246 [quote]Four words I have to say to Funpidgin: Users Are Not Designers.[/quote] Seems to be the general response on the planet. Yet, the real problem in this case, seems to be that the pidgin coders are not very good designers. Yet, they don't leave people room to change it. There user base is large, but not very satisfied. And it has been this way for a long time. Something had to give... [quote]Four words I have to say to Funpidgin: Users Are Not Designers.[/quote]

Seems to be the general response on the planet. Yet, the real problem in this case, seems to be that the pidgin coders are not very good designers. Yet, they don’t leave people room to change it.

There user base is large, but not very satisfied. And it has been this way for a long time. Something had to give…

]]> Comment on Four Words for Funpidgin (Updated w/ comments) by dave null http://weblog.obso1337.org/2008/four-words-for-funpidgin/#comment-145245 dave null Sat, 17 May 2008 22:09:48 +0000 http://weblog.obso1337.org/2008/four-words-for-funpidgin/#comment-145245 I'm a user. i cannot code. I cannot design. I cannot document. I cannot construct a website. I cannot create application artwork. I can only learn how to use what others have generously constructed. And I can only hope that my feedback is taken graciously and with dignity. I’m a user.

i cannot code.
I cannot design.
I cannot document.
I cannot construct a website.
I cannot create application artwork.

I can only learn how to use what others have generously constructed.

And I can only hope that my feedback is taken graciously and with dignity.

]]> Comment on Four Words for Funpidgin (Updated w/ comments) by ses http://weblog.obso1337.org/2008/four-words-for-funpidgin/#comment-145244 ses Sat, 17 May 2008 21:42:42 +0000 http://weblog.obso1337.org/2008/four-words-for-funpidgin/#comment-145244 Myself being a telecom software tester, I can say most *programmers* aren't *designers*, either. It takes a person who is very perceptive in usability and the end user experience to make good design decisions. Sometimes the ones coding don't do a good job of looking through the user's eyes. Often, the most talented programmer only understands how he uses an application; rare are the ones that can understand the different ways many different people would use it. Four simple words: "developers don't understand users". (Me, personally, I don't like the size/shape of my application windows to change without my interaction...) Myself being a telecom software tester, I can say most *programmers* aren’t *designers*, either. It takes a person who is very perceptive in usability and the end user experience to make good design decisions. Sometimes the ones coding don’t do a good job of looking through the user’s eyes. Often, the most talented programmer only understands how he uses an application; rare are the ones that can understand the different ways many different people would use it.

Four simple words: “developers don’t understand users”.

(Me, personally, I don’t like the size/shape of my application windows to change without my interaction…)

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