As most of you will know by now have been around for quite some time, trying address end user issues. I am with Andrei, that just a forum will not do the trick. A seperate website, including all modules that allow end users to find out if OACS sollutions could be helpfull, is probably the easiest sollution.
End users ususaly have relatively simple demands, that can be solved with default OACS tools, however, trying to find your way in the maze of options is a diffrent story. Thats not a hacker issue, but it's a creativity issue.
A simple example. Today I started building a businessplan module for a new project I am working on. Developers feel ëdit this Page 4.6" is not in a production state and needs a lot of enhancements. I agree to some extend, but, form my position, of haveing nothing, ETP works pretty well, if not perfect. The few errors I encounter are minor hick ups for now. In my experience this allwos me to do what I need, and I look forward to fancy enhancements. Working with the tool i might even discover a few things that could be added, but where never thought of, because nobody used the tool in a production environment.
The main problem of the toolkit is that for end users it's almost impossible to scale down, and decide what would be the most effective module to use for X task. That's not a development issue, but user experience. Developers usually have a diferent focus. In order for developers to come up with the ultiamte sollution, it often can pay of to enhance the quick and directy work arounds end user can come up with, because they havn't got any programming experience.
I am sure the way I use ETP right now, will motivate package maintainers to make some simple adjustments, and this will apply to all modules the more endusers are working with them. So end user is basicaly research I feel.
The point I am trying to make is that by changing the focus from development to end user, you solve one major prolmem of open source development I read recently. Most projects fail to deliver because there are no clients asking for specifics. Just like you have developers working on the kit, I feel we need to have playground of end users.
In my vision it should be a clean environement, with no reference to development issues discussed on OACS.org, other than a blog providing a daily update of important general developments, and reference to the apropiate sections of OACS.org.
This aproach will make it easier to find out what end users are looking for, and will ease barrier on posting on the main forum with the risk of being misunderstood. If you folks are ok, I will set up sub site on my server, provided get a write up on OACS.org.
I volunteer to act as editor for the time beeing.
cheers
Ben
