[Koha] Users and developers (was KUDOS - ALA Proposed Agenda)

[Owen Leonard]

Okay, get ready for a rant...

> Sometimes "users" and "developers" are at opposite poles...

When? I'm a Koha user. And in using Koha I saw that I could make Koha
better, and in time became a Koha developer. There is no Koha
developer out there who is developing Koha features just because they
think it would be cool to do. Koha developers are doing their work
because they *see* a need, in an actual user or an actual library. Or
developers are getting paid by libraries to develop the features the
libraries need.

Here's when users and developers are at opposite poles:

- When a company decides to develop a feature that they think will
help sell a product, even though the feature doesn't meet any actual
need
- When a company throttles or cripples a feature in a product because
they want to charge extra for a particular feature

No self-respecting Koha developer or Koha support company is doing
that kind of stuff. That's why we're here.

> I think this is more about giving the "users" more of a voice than they've traditionally had in
> the past, no?

I honestly don't know where this comes from. The Koha project is just
about as open and accessible as any software project can be. You can
participate on the mailing list, you can submit bug reports yourself,
you can submit your own patches or hire your own programmers to write
code for you. You can talk to Koha developers on IRC almost 24 hours a
day!

The only way in which one might consider that users need "more of a
voice" is if you think of it in terms of working collectively to
achieve a goal that Koha libraries individually could not. If that's
the intention of that statement then, rant over. I agree 100% that
libraries should be seeking ways to pool their resources ($$) to get
done the things they want done, i.e. hire developers or commission
existing companies to do work for them.

However, if by "more of a voice" you mean, "If we all get together an
ask for a feature the Koha developers should implement it," then no.
This is open source, but time is money. You can donate your time (as I
do, every day, in code, markup, email, and IRC) or you can donate your
money--in the form of paid development work.

This doesn't shut anyone out. But yes, there is a bar that you have to
clear. I don't know how else it can work.

So: Let's get together as users and/or developers and figure out how
we can get some stuff done. Let's put together a structure by which
Koha users can spec out new features and get them funded,
collectively. Let's put together a structure by which Koha users can
communicate with their vendors without fear of exclusion or reprisal.
Let's not talk about a users group breaking down some barrier that
isn't really there--let's talk about strengthening and leveraging the
connection that we *already have!*

  -- Owen

-- 
Web Developer
Athens County Public Libraries
http://www.myacpl.org