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Cool, open source runs the web. Why? I guess one reason is that LAMP & Co are actually better performers than their commercial counterparts? Well, open sourc

Cool, open source runs the web. Why? I guess one reason is that LAMP & Co are actually better performers than their commercial counterparts? Well, open source production software for the content creation industries as it exists today, sucks.

ryanwaggoner 18y ago
That might be true, but that's not what your comment communicated, to me anyway. To me, your comment communicated (rather snidely) that it's ridiculous to think that a bunch of programmers could create open source versions of the apps you listed in their spare time without financial compensation. All I was pointing out is that a lot of other software sectors have made the same mistake, and I don't see anything about content creation software that makes it immune to the same forces.
- jrockway 18y ago
  He does have a point, although he's been so busy being a jerk that he hasn't communicated it particularly effectively. Software like Apache, Perl, Postgres, and so on all make the lives of software developers easier. When I spend time working on a project like that, it brings something I'm being paid to do closer to completion, or makes future paid work more lucrative. (I can charge the same amount, but it won't take me as long, etc.) I don't have the same incentives to make a Photoshop clone, though, because my interaction with graphics manipulation usually consists of an email like "here are the graphics" from the graphics department. I don't care if Photoshop doesn't work, it's not my problem. That said, I do edit my photos with Gimp, and I think it works great. So again, there is no incentive for me to improve it, I think it's fine already.
- dasil003 18y ago
  I don't see anything about content creation software that makes it immune to the same forces I don't either, but empirically you have to concede that open source hasn't succeeded in the content creation domain. The closest thing is OpenOffice, and that's the least creative end of the spectrum, just one step away from databases and other back-end software. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say it's because programmers don't understand the domain. You can't create good graphic design software without graphic designers on the team.
- ahoyhere 18y ago
  > ... and I don't see anything about content creation software that makes it immune to the same forces. I'm a graphic & user interaction designer. About 4 years ago, I volunteered to help fix Drupal's UI problems. Everybody was like "Yay! UI help!" I started by offering a new theme and giving feedback on the arcanity of the calendar API. Result: no changes were ever made. None of it ever went anywhere, because the weenies prefered to argue on the mailing list about every single point rather than concede that somewhere, something might need to be better. I gave up. I never volunteered for OSS again. It's not worth it.

ryanwaggoner 18y ago

That might be true, but that's not what your comment communicated, to me anyway. To me, your comment communicated (rather snidely) that it's ridiculous to think that a bunch of programmers could create open source versions of the apps you listed in their spare time without financial compensation. All I was pointing out is that a lot of other software sectors have made the same mistake, and I don't see anything about content creation software that makes it immune to the same forces.

jrockway 18y ago
He does have a point, although he's been so busy being a jerk that he hasn't communicated it particularly effectively. Software like Apache, Perl, Postgres, and so on all make the lives of software developers easier. When I spend time working on a project like that, it brings something I'm being paid to do closer to completion, or makes future paid work more lucrative. (I can charge the same amount, but it won't take me as long, etc.) I don't have the same incentives to make a Photoshop clone, though, because my interaction with graphics manipulation usually consists of an email like "here are the graphics" from the graphics department. I don't care if Photoshop doesn't work, it's not my problem. That said, I do edit my photos with Gimp, and I think it works great. So again, there is no incentive for me to improve it, I think it's fine already.
dasil003 18y ago
I don't see anything about content creation software that makes it immune to the same forces I don't either, but empirically you have to concede that open source hasn't succeeded in the content creation domain. The closest thing is OpenOffice, and that's the least creative end of the spectrum, just one step away from databases and other back-end software. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say it's because programmers don't understand the domain. You can't create good graphic design software without graphic designers on the team.
ahoyhere 18y ago
> ... and I don't see anything about content creation software that makes it immune to the same forces. I'm a graphic & user interaction designer. About 4 years ago, I volunteered to help fix Drupal's UI problems. Everybody was like "Yay! UI help!" I started by offering a new theme and giving feedback on the arcanity of the calendar API. Result: no changes were ever made. None of it ever went anywhere, because the weenies prefered to argue on the mailing list about every single point rather than concede that somewhere, something might need to be better. I gave up. I never volunteered for OSS again. It's not worth it.