Open Source for Dummies?

GNUpowerSoul asks: "I have been working for several years on a large open source library. Ever since we made our first public release three years ago, we have found that the majority of our users seem to have no experience whatsoever with open source ideas and conventions. We have had to dumb down our documentation considerably (to the point where we have multiple pages to describe in excruciating detail the usual 'configure; make; make install' step). Has anyone else had experience in how to deal with a user community who doesn't understand the 'normal' practices for open source projects?"

Comments

Unix

[Hard_Code]

Sounds like your users have problems with Unix, not "open source" per se. I'm not sure how to familiarize people with Unixisms. There was no manual that said "here is how to compile and install stuff" (well, besides the INSTALL file!!). I learned by doing.

Open Source-ism?

[Violet Null]

'configure; make; make install' isn't unique to open source, it's unique to *nixes. Ye olde open source Windows program doesn't take it, for example.

So if your problem is really 'How do I teach newbies to compile on a *nix platform?', then I would recommend, say, Building and Installing Software Packages for Linux.

On the other hand, there's the ever-so-popular 'RTFM', or the only slightly less popular 'no response', both of which have a long history in open source.

Apple users meet Unix...

[Johnny Mnemonic]

...and the result is fink.

Really, the situation you describe is very similar to what the oldtime Mac-heads who like OS X are going through. For many examples of how to boil down these kinds of instructions, see Mac OS X hints.
Basically: KISS. Like, three commands for one concept? How would you like to open an application by clicking it, dragging it to another location, and then clicking it again?