If you are working on an open source project, what has caused you to join an open source project?
Most of the time people slowly get involved with the project. Enter the forums/mailing lists, post suggestions, perhaps start fixing a few bugs or help other people out, slowly start to implement bigger features.. And before you realize it, people will be asking you for comments about their idea's. That's how it kind-of happened to me, but I also had an itch to scratch and the developers appeared to be busy with their personal lives.
Nevertheless, I agree more Open Source projects should advertise you can help/contribute as well. A lot of users don't realize they might be able to help. Unfortunately, most projects don't have a clear view about different tasks people can do. It's always the usual "you can write it yourself, period" response.
Mailing lists are not the most friendly place if you haven't used one before, CVS is new for most people too. A good guide on this would certainly help. But attracting artists and translators is a different story.
It's interesting to read that some idea's are emerging on this point. I found that blog at planetkde.org, it's about the new artwork contests of kde-look.org, they seam to attract a lot of artists who didn't knew how to contribute before.:-)
users may experience problems running IBM's internal Web applications. Most of those applications are written for the Internet Explorer browser, which has not been ported to Linux. Internet Explorer is the only browser supported by IBM's internal support desk, according to another IBMer.
IBM is using Wine to run Lotus Notes software on thousands of clients, according to sources, but ironically, the company's internal use of the open-source Windows operating system emulator did not translate into a ringing endorsement in a guide to migrating to Linux clients, published recently on IBM's Web site.
So IBM likes to make a move to Linux, but keeps their webapplicaties IE-only..? Do we really need to start frames about the reason desktop-Linux fails?:-p
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Most of the time people slowly get involved with the project. Enter the forums/mailing lists, post suggestions, perhaps start fixing a few bugs or help other people out, slowly start to implement bigger features.. And before you realize it, people will be asking you for comments about their idea's. That's how it kind-of happened to me, but I also had an itch to scratch and the developers appeared to be busy with their personal lives.
Nevertheless, I agree more Open Source projects should advertise you can help/contribute as well. A lot of users don't realize they might be able to help. Unfortunately, most projects don't have a clear view about different tasks people can do. It's always the usual "you can write it yourself, period" response.
Mailing lists are not the most friendly place if you haven't used one before, CVS is new for most people too. A good guide on this would certainly help. But attracting artists and translators is a different story.
It's interesting to read that some idea's are emerging on this point. I found that blog at planetkde.org, it's about the new artwork contests of kde-look.org, they seam to attract a lot of artists who didn't knew how to contribute before. :-)
users may experience problems running IBM's internal Web applications. Most of those applications are written for the Internet Explorer browser, which has not been ported to Linux. Internet Explorer is the only browser supported by IBM's internal support desk, according to another IBMer.
:-p
IBM is using Wine to run Lotus Notes software on thousands of clients, according to sources, but ironically, the company's internal use of the open-source Windows operating system emulator did not translate into a ringing endorsement in a guide to migrating to Linux clients, published recently on IBM's Web site.
So IBM likes to make a move to Linux, but keeps their webapplicaties IE-only..? Do we really need to start frames about the reason desktop-Linux fails?
IMHO, IBM just didn't get it's focus right.