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

OK, here is my problem

[override11]

I am an experienced PC user (from 95% windows / dos background), and a sysadmin if a fairly large company. I am mostly self-learned, and the main difficulty I have with open source - linux is that most instructions assume a level of knowledge that I dont have, so I end up getting frusterated and dropping the project. Like, I am trying to get sendmail configured to act as an intermediary between our exchange server and the web, and filter out content. Well I have found some helpful guides, they all say something like 'compile sendmail' and I'm stuck not knowing HOW! I do phone support, and 90 percent of the time I just rattle off..

'click start' then click settings' and click on the control panel... well, start is the button in the lower left that says 'start'... no, its not a button on your PC, its on the screen... yes, I am sure its not a button on the front of your computer...

Anyways, you get the idea. Make it simple, or at least someone out there make a basic guide on things that most instructions take for granted! :)

Re:OK, here is my problem

[SLot]

I am an experienced PC user (from 95% windows / dos background), and a sysadmin if a fairly large company. I am mostly self-learned, and the main difficulty I have with open source - linux is that most instructions assume a level of knowledge that I dont have, so I end up getting frusterated and dropping the project.

I don't mean this in a bad way really, but you are the person that's touted by microsoft as always being cheaper to hire in those TCO studies we are innundated with. Rather than someone with a firm grasp of *computer* fundamentals, you are the guy that has an MCSE with little practical experience outside of a gui environment. I'd highly advise you to run to your bookstore, pick up a Linux administration book, and throw the cd that usually comes with into a spare box and *test* as you *read*. Plenty of newsgroups exist. I too, am mostly self-learned, but I'm not above asking questions, nor am I convinced that OSS is the end-all, be-all.

Like, I am trying to get sendmail configured to act as an intermediary between our exchange server and the web, and filter out content. Well I have found some helpful guides, they all say something like 'compile sendmail' and I'm stuck not knowing HOW! I do phone support, and 90 percent of the time I just rattle off.. 'click start' then click settings' and click on the control panel... well, start is the button in the lower left that says 'start'... no, its not a button on your PC, its on the screen... yes, I am sure its not a button on the front of your computer...

I'm not sure if you are trolling or not here, but when a 500+ page book is available on a subject like sendmail, your 'click here' examples show that unless you get into management fast, you might be screwed this time around the karma wheel.

Anyways, you get the idea. Make it simple, or at least someone out there make a basic guide on things that most instructions take for granted! :)

No, try this for an idea: Complex software *has* basic guides that come with installation and pretty explicit instructions. Any problems after you install without referring to the stuff that comes with says one of two things:
1)You'd prefer to wait on a solution to your problem without paying for it.
2)You have no idea what you are doing, and can't describe the problem you are having.

Either is not out of the realm of impossiblity, both are likely, IME.

I do wish you luck.

Nope, It's the Users...

[benjamindees]

And I know, because I was one at one time.

The single most important concept in Unix is that there is ONE TOOL for every TASK. The "users" you refer to (hopefully we're talking about administrators) think that "compile and install program" is one task.

For Open Source programs that one has to compile, there are actually three tasks: configure, build, and install. For closed-source software, you have already paid someone else to perform the first two tasks for you, and lost quite a bit in terms of configurability in the process.

With Open Source, you get to control everything from configuration to compilation to installation. The downside to this flexibility is that for poorly-maintained projects, it doesn't always work. Separating the process into three distinct steps can also help the administrator to diagnose problems with the install.