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

[Liz (me) Rea]

Hear hear, my friend. Well said and I agree completely.

Mobile-ly yours,

Liz Rea
NEKLS

On Jan 19, 2010, at 6:58 PM, Owen Leonard <oleonard at myacpl.org> wrote:

> 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
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