[Sigia-l] Salt in Sugar

[Ziya Oz]

Andrew Boyd:

> very "by developers for developers" - hence the comparison to OSS.

OSS in *this* instance (Sugar) is NOT for developers at all. It's for 100
million captive kids who don't even get to select/purchase their computers.
That's what makes it scary.

OSS in general hopes to break out of the developer niche and become a force
on the desktop, as well as on mobile and new media platforms. So it has to
broaden its horizon.

But why should developer-targeting software be obtuse? Almost intentionally
so? Many programming IDE interfaces or installation/configuration procedures
reduce developers to sub-human level. Those developers are lazy, incompetent
or uncaring of others' time and experience: in any case the results are
horrible. They don't have to be. The attitude, "fix it yourself or stop
whining" has got to die.

37signals, RoR, Expression, Flex, etc., essentially refute the notion that
developers' time/experience can be abused. To that extent, they point to a
solution. We may or may not agree with their design approach but they
elevate design, by not treating it as an afterthought.
 
Ziya
Nullius in Verba