Desktop Linux Suckage: Where's Our Steve Jobs?
Sep 25, 2008, 04 :51 UTC (10 Talkback[s]) (5452 reads) (Other stories by Elliott Hughes)
"The article that prompted me to write these rants, 'Why Free Software has poor usability, and how to improve it', failed to mention Linux's lack of a Steve Jobs. This is an important omission. The Linux kernel has its Steve Jobs. The question we have to ask ourselves is whether it's just a coincidence that the Linux kernel is the poster child for successful Free software.
"What does the Linux desktop have? The Linux desktop has nothing. No person, not even a committee. Just the GNOME HIG.
"I suggest you take a look at the GNOME HIG, in all its barely-changed-since-2001 glory. In particular, compare its breadth, depth, and quality to Apple's or even Microsoft's equivalents. You might think that the Apple and Microsoft guides go too far. Microsoft's one is especially long. But you could hardly argue that developers of GNOME applications are doing such a good job they don't need at least as much help as Mac and Windows developers. At least Apple and Microsoft seem to acknowledge the extent of the problem.
