[kdepim-users] Unable to create new address book

[O. Sinclair]

On 26/11/11 12:36, Andras Mantia wrote:
> O. Sinclair wrote:
>
>> I agree and disagree. Yes, users can help and they do. But the final
>> responsibility lies with the developers who KNOW how they design things
>> to work - not users who have to figure it out.
>
> Read that I write they could. They don't have to, nor it is their main job.
> But this (KDE) is open source, community based project (and in many cases
> already better documented then proprietary software).
>
>> And that is where both KDE and KDEPIM is sorely behind at this moment in
>> time.
>
> It always comes down to the priorities and to the nature of open source. If
> you do it because it is fun (and usually that is your biggest motivation:
> you work on open source because you like it), then you do what you like. If
> there are 10 developers who like to write code, and 1 who also likes to
> write documentation, documentation will lack behind. This is the truth.
> Nobody can force developers to do what they don't like. The exception is
> when they do open source work paid by somebody and they accept this
> situation.
>   I'm not saying that it is good that documentation is put into the second
> plane by developers (coders), but this is the fact.
>   So how can this situation be improved? With volunteers, contributors who
> cannot code, but would like to help the project and they think they are able
> to write good documentation. I can imagine that doing that can also be an
> enjoyable work. But just as developers cannot be forced to do it, user can't
> be either. If they would like to contribute, they are welcome. If they don't
> want, thats also acceptable.
>

I do of course understand the nature of open source coding done by "I 
happen to like it" coders. On the other hand I could argue that projects 
like Nepomuk and KDE receive funding from EU and others who could 
(should?) put requirements of professional attitude as a condition. And 
yes, anyone who ever worked with outside funding are familiar with 
conditions attached.

In either case I will still maintain that releasing software aimed at 
the usage of literally millions of people without a manual and 
documentation is bad practice. Full stop.

Kindly
Sinclair



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