You're right. From my first look at Audacity it looks like working with it is extremely easy.
But - Audacity has been, as you said, developed with usability in mind right from the beginning. You, the programers, wanted usability to be kind of ONE OF THE FEATURES.
The reason I see for many software no being "usable" is because the programer(s) wanted to implement a certain set of features because they had fun implementing them. The "usability-feature" is lots of work the programers don't want to invest because it does not add value to them. And because they do it in their spare time time is verry sparse - they will have to decide what to use their time for. Well - implementing the main features allready takes up enough time...
*sigh* This is not only a problem in open source. Also in industry. In open source time is sparse bacause it's the people's spare time. In industry time is sparse because time is money. In either case: usability is assumed to be an inconvinient "must". And IF a piece of software is usable the usablity is being taken for granted, nothing special. Usually noone will receive applause for good usability. So why invest andy work in it....
Developers as well as other people involved, eg. sales personal, production etc. tend to see mainly THEIR part of the world. A PM has to see ALL of it and has to take all sides into account. Even if one excludes the other.
He or she does not have to be a crack in every discipline but he or she should have a decent knowledge, better a decent experience.
Please, fellow developers, please try to understand that our point of view is not the only imprtant part. Same to you other guys and girls, no matter if you work for sales, service or whatever.
The PM has the hardest job: getting everything together.
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You're right. From my first look at Audacity it looks like working with it is extremely easy.
...
...
But - Audacity has been, as you said, developed with usability in mind right from the beginning. You, the programers, wanted usability to be kind of ONE OF THE FEATURES.
The reason I see for many software no being "usable" is because the programer(s) wanted to implement a certain set of features because they had fun implementing them. The "usability-feature" is lots of work the programers don't want to invest because it does not add value to them.
And because they do it in their spare time time is verry sparse - they will have to decide what to use their time for. Well - implementing the main features allready takes up enough time
*sigh* This is not only a problem in open source. Also in industry.
In open source time is sparse bacause it's the people's spare time.
In industry time is sparse because time is money.
In either case: usability is assumed to be an inconvinient "must".
And IF a piece of software is usable the usablity is being taken for granted, nothing special. Usually noone will receive applause for good usability. So why invest andy work in it....
Sad but true
Nothing more to say. That's the way it should be.
Developers as well as other people involved, eg. sales personal, production etc. tend to see mainly THEIR part of the world.
A PM has to see ALL of it and has to take all sides into account. Even if one excludes the other.
He or she does not have to be a crack in every discipline but he or she should have a decent knowledge, better a decent experience.
Please, fellow developers, please try to understand that our point of view is not the only imprtant part.
Same to you other guys and girls, no matter if you work for sales, service or whatever.
The PM has the hardest job: getting everything together.