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The paradox of FOSS projects supporting WindowsFOSS applications for Windows don't seem to get the same respect and support that their Linux counterparts do, even when they are genuine 100% GPL or BSD or whatever a person's favorite license is. Some say they are good introductions to FOSS; some think they're tainted and nasty and prop up the evil monopolist. This blog was written a few months ago by an Inkscape developer, Bryce Harrington, and it is one of the better analyses I have seen:
Which is a point that is always overlooked by the "World Domination At Any Cost" crowd- attracting hordes of Windows and Mac refugees doesn't necessary benefit FOSS projects, as the KDE4 near-riots demonstrated. The complaining was unbelievable; all those disappointed users behaving like spoiled brats instead of members of a community that depends on community contributions and support. As Aaron Seigo and Bruce Byfield noted:
Bryce Harrington goes on to talk about a "C/U ratio", or contributors-to-userbase. A higher C/U ratio means stronger support for the project, and greater satisfaction all around. But:
Like Aaron Seigo, Mr. Harrington also theorizes that Linux users are more tech-savvy and accustomed to the idea of being contributors, and Windows users are conditioned to being passive consumers with only two options for handling problems: yelling, or purchasing a different product. The foundation of Microsoft's core business plan is eliminating the second option, so Windows users get a lot of yelling practice. So a large influx of Windows users can swamp a FOSS project with demands but no help. Inkscape's Windows port has a larger userbase than its Linux version, but not a correspondingly larger contributor base:
But where are new FOSS users going to come from? It's worth reading the whole article and the comments. There isn't a simple answer.
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