Comment service model and user support (Score 1) 260
ESR's talk at MacHack has caused a lot of discussion, but surprisingly few of the issues raised in that session are getting talked about.
One of the most interesting comments made at machack was about the motivation for good user support, and it shows the different bias of the Mac community. ESR used the "most software company phone support sucks" argument as part of the basis for showing that the retail software market should really be a service market: if people paid for phone support directly rather than through a pricetag on software, phone support would be better.
Curiously, some mac developers turned this argument on its head: the experience in the Mac community is that having good phone support which feeds back to product development makes a better product, which then drives sales. The point being that the entire organization, and not just the UI, is user-focussed.
Its just reinforcing the idea that there are different markets and different kinds of software and different kinds of users. Its no surprise that OSS fits some niches and doesn't fit others.
- Olof
One of the most interesting comments made at machack was about the motivation for good user support, and it shows the different bias of the Mac community. ESR used the "most software company phone support sucks" argument as part of the basis for showing that the retail software market should really be a service market: if people paid for phone support directly rather than through a pricetag on software, phone support would be better.
Curiously, some mac developers turned this argument on its head: the experience in the Mac community is that having good phone support which feeds back to product development makes a better product, which then drives sales. The point being that the entire organization, and not just the UI, is user-focussed.
Its just reinforcing the idea that there are different markets and different kinds of software and different kinds of users. Its no surprise that OSS fits some niches and doesn't fit others.
- Olof
