[nycbug-talk] eurobsdcon

[Dru]

On Sun, 23 May 2004, Hans Zaunere wrote:

> Just like any project (whether it be software or not) there are
> mangerial and organizational issues that are often overlooked.
> Programmers are good at programming, but typically not organizing.
>
> I think there could be much more open source success (especially for the
> smaller projects) if non-technicals could feel welcome and knowing how
> they can participate.  This is why I think this talk has a lot of value.
> Think project management, marketing (a term I use loosely), financial
> considerations, legal considerations, etc.  This brings in people with
> little or no skill technically, but that offer skills most tech-savvies
> don't have.  The merge of these skills, however, truely makes success.


I'd like to explore this part of the thread a bit more. It is very 
important, but I'm a techie (not a programmer, but definitely a techie) so 
I know very little about project management, marketing, etc. other than 
that they are a big deal and I don't know how to do them adequately...

I think we all agree (and hopefully won't digress into the unfairness of 
it all) that quality open source (especially BSD) doesn't quite have the 
marketshare of its commercial counterparts. But what can I as an end 
user/sysadmin do about it? How do I get the attention of people that can 
do something about it? This may well end up being the core issue of the talk. 
Will end users still feel like they're emptying the ocean with a teaspoon 
or will they feel their actions can really make a difference?

Dru