Open source more customer focused?
So, maybe I'm wrong. I've always felt that open source needs a marketing team to put the last-mile polish on it to make it useful for customers. Geeks develop for other geeks (so the saying goes), and aren't necessarily in tune with the needs/requirements of the end-user.
But in a conversation I had with Fabrizio Capobianco, CEO of Funambol (Means "tightrope walker," apparently - metaphorical for the company's attempt to balance open source with commercial interests), I had this view challenged. Fabrizio is a sharp guy (his affinity for Juventus being just one sign). He told me that unlike standard development, open source development gives his development team front-line access to customer complaints/feature requests/etc. Instead of sitting in a tranquil DMZ, shielded (and informed) by product marketing, his developers actually hear real-world customer feedback all day long....
So, perhaps open source is more customer responsive?
1 comments:
Hi Matt,
I believe that you and Fabrizio are both correct.
Open Source & Linux products need that extra polish that a lot of potential customers have come to expect from their proprietary counterparts. It's a 'signal' that people perceive. If customers perceive that the product is unprofessional there's no amount of white papers that will convince them otherwise.
I started OSDir.com's software directory specifically for folks who wanted to try open source software & would know which apps they should actually try so they wouldn't be disappointed when they boot up linux for the first time, try to use a bundled application (version -0.5) & have it segfault on them. "Linux crashes." I still can't believe we include beta apps.
One only has to look at OS X to see the effect great polishing has.
As for Fabrizio he sounds lucky to have both responsive and personable (some might say polished) developers working with him.
Steve Mallett- http://steve.osdir.com
P.S. I wasn't going to respond, but read your profile & found we're eerily alike. Right down to The Smiths.
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