I think the main problem with Open Source application software is the lack of experience in the field the application deals with. Open source programming libraries and languages, webservers and browsers are all great because they are mainly programming problems, and open source developers are programmers. Things like the GIMP and Virtualdub try to deal with problems outside the field of programming, and don't have the knowledge, research or resources to develop something that people in those fields want. Usability is one of those fields but it isn't the heart of the problem.
This is exactly the problem. What percent of graphic designers would use an app, find a bug, and report it, let alone wade through the code and fix it?
On the other hand, an open source webserver or programming language, in which the user is a programmer by default, is much more likely to get fixed.
And honestly, what is your average open source developer more interested in: GIMP or Apache?
Comments
I think the main problem with Open Source application software is the lack of experience in the field the application deals with. Open source programming libraries and languages, webservers and browsers are all great because they are mainly programming problems, and open source developers are programmers. Things like the GIMP and Virtualdub try to deal with problems outside the field of programming, and don't have the knowledge, research or resources to develop something that people in those fields want. Usability is one of those fields but it isn't the heart of the problem.
This is exactly the problem. What percent of graphic designers would use an app, find a bug, and report it, let alone wade through the code and fix it?
On the other hand, an open source webserver or programming language, in which the user is a programmer by default, is much more likely to get fixed.
And honestly, what is your average open source developer more interested in: GIMP or Apache?