[scribus] Views of users

[joseph harris]

From: "John Beardmore"

> joseph harris wrote:
>> From: "John Beardmore"
>
........
>> Some of us recognise the great advantages of scribus for 
>> control and fitting the program to the need, but the learning 
>> curves are steep and long - even if you come from familiarity 
>> with other DTP solutions and have looked at Linux with a 
>> nervous eye.
>
> With Pagemaker and InDesign experience, and more or less 
> without documentation, it only took about an hour and a half to 
> satisfy myself that scribus could be used for our reports.
>
> As learning curves go, that's pretty 'down hill'.

But with this line you are hardly 'Joe Bloggs': MSc EDM (Open), 
B.A. Chem (Oxon), CMIOSH, AIEMA, MEI ;-). Added to which your 
previous experience looks regular as a consultant in a complex 
area.

>> Scribus appears to be a remarkable program for sorting out the 
>> precise needs of a particular publication or document, but how 
>> many truly need that level of sophistication?
>
> Well -  few people need all of the features in any software.
>
> Could I do our work in less feature rich software ?  Yes, but 
> I'd spend all my time missing things. I miss quite a few things 
> as it is !

The trend has been to combine programs into simpler work flows 
and to reduce the need for additional programs. In that Scribus 
in in the flow... Again the issue is not what is available, but 
what does each individual perceive they need or can cope with.

>>
>> I would say that, while the appearance of scribus is moving 
>> the right way it looks more intimidating than many other DPT 
>> programs, and as discussed daily on this list still contains 
>> all sorts of problems.
>
> I don't think it's any more intimidating that InDe or 
> Pagemaker.

Both of which compete at the professional end of the market. 
Quark is also a highly sophisticated program best suited to 
trained publishing personnel. On the other hand Word is like a WP 
with few-click DTP facilities [and plenty problems down the line 
;-)]. The Serif set, which become increasingly integrated, give 
approaching high end results for relatively simple user inputs. 
Serif's PagePlus combines this with the choice of a deal of user 
control. It is designed to be a quick fix as well as a quite 
sophisticated tool.

For a majority of users these simplicities are far preferred. For 
a goodly number such as yourself it is the required quality of 
the end product that makes the program choice.

>
>
>> There is too the incredibly important issue of finding 
>> tutorial, instruction or answers online, let alone in manual 
>> form.
>
> True, but that's being addressed.

And will undoubtedly increase the uptake of Scribus. The effort 
to move in this direction is impressive and a tribute to the 
volunteers who have created an excellent program. There remains a 
problem that most people cannot even think beyond a blank at the 
term 'command line'.

>
>
>> If the aim is to produce an incredibly sophisticated and 
>> adaptable DTP and print preparation program you have 
>> undoubtedly been highly successful,
>
> Agreed.
>
>
>> and its continued advance is impressive. But if you are asking 
>> why more people don't use it - especially as it is free - then 
>> you need to understand why M$, Adobe, Serif and a host of 
>> others are so successful in the 'expensive pretty packet' 
>> market place.
>
> Actually, do you know how sales of those packages compares to 
> downloads of Scribus ?
>
> I wouldn't be surprised if despite being an unfinished product, 
> scribus had a noticeable market share.

Yes, I have no doubt of that. But it is not linked like Word to 
MS and the windows OS. And that is on the vast majority of 
machines sold because it has the most user friendly interface 
[and a horrible 'sort your problem out' mishmash of place to go 
and things to do!].

Joseph

>
>
>> And the answer is they make people think their products are 
>> easy to use [sometimes they even are!].
>
> Quite.
>
>
> Cheers, J/.
> -- 
> John Beardmore, MSc EDM (Open), B.A. Chem (Oxon), CMIOSH, 
> AIEMA, MEI
> Managing Director, T4 Sustainability Limited. 
> http://www.T4sLtd.co.uk/
> Carbon Trust Consultant: Energy Audit, Carbon Footprint, Design 
> Advice
> Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme, (EEAS), Registered 
> Assessor
> Phone: 0845 4561332   Mobile: 07785 563116   Skype: 
> t4sustainability
>