Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] [OT] marketing hype
From: Fernando Pablo Lopez-Lezcano (nando_AT_ccrma.stanford.edu)
Date: Thu Jun 10 2004 - 01:24:46 EEST
On Wed, 2004-06-09 at 15:26, Marek Peteraj wrote:
> On Wed, 2004-06-09 at 13:17, Dave Griffiths wrote:
> > Personally speaking, as a free software developer I don't care if my
> > programs are deemed as sucessful, they work for me, and handful of other
> > people - this makes me happy :)
>
> I'd like to see what other developers of the most popular linux audio
> projects think.
Most probably you will find out (when/if other developers care to speak
out) that this view is shared by many, if not all, developers, and not
just in the audio world. Great projects in the open source community
usually happen when a motivated individual or group _needs_ something.
It is not the needs of the world (usually), or "user demand", or the
desire to fill or create a marketing niche, it is their need. They work
on the project because it is fun. Because they want to learn. Sometimes
they do it because they want to give back to the community. If they feel
like it, they will consider suggestions as well, but not always. Their
view of what is best may be completely different from yours, and from
what today's "market" finds fashionable and cool.
> Because if they share your opinion, i'd rather save some
> bucks and buy myself a mac.
Perhaps you should start saving now? :-)
I have to echo other comments in that I also like the freedom of the
linux or - more generally - open source (audio) world, the
non-hierarchical non-centralized nature of it, the chaos, the lack of
hype, marketing techno-speak and half truths if not outright lies, and
all that.
You seem to consider all these attributes big failures.
I don't agree. We don't _have_ to be big, take over the world and "sell"
our "products"[*] like everyone else in the music software and hardware
industry.
Which does not mean all software and projects are perfect, of course. I
can think of many that could use some improvement :-)
-- Fernando
[*] there are exceptions, of course, as in everything. Some developers
seem to have the need to push their software and demostrate that it is
better than everything else. To each his/her own.
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