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Interview: Ask Bruce Perens What You Will
Bruce Perens is a computer programmer and one of the most important advocates for the open source community. He co-founded the Open Source Initiative with ESR and has worked towards reforms of national and international technology policies. He is an amateur radio enthusiast, and has pushed for open radio communication standards. He is also our interview guest today. As usual, ask as many questions as you'd like, but please, one per post.
You think the government actually keeps you safe and free?
That's cute; you just keep believing that.
If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
I'm an Graphics + UI + UX expert and use open source when I can (I also contribute to a minor open source emulator.)
1. What can we as a community do to address the weaknesses of Open Source?
That is, I see time and time again in open source:
* Functionality not on par with certain commercial apps,
* Bad UI,
* Poor documentation such as man files that don't have any freaking examples,
* A million and one clones that duplicate basic functionality
2. How do you respond to trolls who call open source "open sores" ?
3. How do we overcome the perceived image that "you get what you pay for" That is, some people think that if it is free it isn't worth anything, or it is only "worth" something if I must pay $$$ for it ?
4. Finally, is there an up-to-date list that shows all the various open source "equivalents" of commercial software?
Cheers
--
Only Cowards Censor
What makes him think that he has the right to decide that for me?
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano