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# What is the user-base that you target?
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and how to keep targeting that userbase
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*Nikos* (and let's see who agrees {Yann last time we talked about that agrees}):
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We try to keep Gajim simple and easy to use because we believe it is time GNU/Linux (and other free OSes) users stop being considered as hackers or power users. Keeping that in mind, Gajim has to be as simple as it gets, and that is not the easiest thing on the world. If you have ideas on that you are welcome to share them with us. We also care about power-users and meet most of their requests via advanced options for which we provide a UI editor.
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That is the idea. How can this idea come true:
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* When designing UI or generally functionality that affects the user, try to make it simple and robust as much as it gets.
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* Try to think what a rookie would expect that Gajim does on foo functionality when designing foo functionality.
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* Try to put tooltips, good English strings and not bloat the UI
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* Less is More, meaning the fewer UI options the better. (Because too many UI options end up having a bloated UI so no options will be used) {user is afraid/bored to read all all those options}
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## Yes but how can a person know what most users want?
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Now, that is very tricky and it's very difficult to succeed in. But doing it AS SIMPLE AS IT GETS and thinking stuff like: "Can this UI be used by my grandma?", "Can a new user to the PC world use it? Will he feel comfortable with it?" is a good start.
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## You can't be serious! Why is that a good start?
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Because thinking of your grandma using your software, makes you always doing it simpler and better.
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Because thinking of what a medium Windows user would feel about the design is SAFE as Windows users is the majority of users of OSes, and Windows (believe or not) define user-friendliness and usability. If you like to radically change the UI world, Gajim is not the place for you, sorry.
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## Yes but can't I just ask the users that contact me or just do what they ask?
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No, that is not a solution. I do not mean ignore them, but that is not the majority of users. Of course they care more and without them we would suck, but that does not mean we should think of those as the majority of users. Let's do some math (as math always speak the truth):
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we have 9 occupants (wihtout devs) in room?
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I'm optimistic and I make them 20
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we have 25 trac reporters that are not in the room?
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I'm optimistic, and I make them 40
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we have 5 opinions in ML that are not in the trac/room?
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I'm optimistic and I make them 15.
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NOW THE MATH:
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20 + 40 + 15 = *75*
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stats of 18 sept for September 2005:
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/downloads/gajim-0.8.2-2.exe 332
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/downloads/gajim-0.8.2.tar.bz2 296
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/downloads/gajim-0.8.2-1.exe 203
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/downloads/gajim-0.8.2-1.x86.package 146
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PLUS users that get DEB from debian servers, Ubuntu, RPM from redhat servers, FreeBSD, NetBSD, PLD, Slackware, Archlinux, SUSE etc etc..
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so we have AS of half month of sept (a normal month)
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332 + 296 + 203 + 146 = *997* ONLY FOR tarball and exes and Autopackages.
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we also have:
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/downloads.php 3236
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now users prefer their distro's packages and not sources.
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so add a number of the ppl used those packages we cannot count.. Hmm
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is 2000 good? Or maybe more? I'm pessimistic and I say 2000
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so we have
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2000 + 997 = '2997' USERS *NOT* EXPRESSED THEIR OPINION
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[ 75 (that expressed) / 2997 ] * 100 = *2.502502503 %* is the users that contact us
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so bottom line:
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2,5 % is not the majority of users. 2,5% is the users that care more of what will happen to Gajim and/or have time to report/contact etc. That does not mean the rest 97% does not care about Gajim or dislikes Gajim. I use programs that I love and I never cared to contact anyone.
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Now imagine someone that only has 4 hours free time in his 24hour day. Will he spent his 2 hours in TV/eating and his 2 hours in mail/IM (Gajim user) with friends or he will go to our room to start a chat that may last up to 30 minutes? If I were him I would just use Gajim and if that is not good for me, I would use another client and that is it. Period. |