[scribus] off list Re: ! ;-)

[John Beardmore]

joseph harris wrote:

...

> Users of DTP vary trememdously because the term includes everything that 
> may be prepared on a computer, printed out and distributed - whether the 
> circulation is one, one million or more.

Hmmm. I think that isn't a common interpretation.

Remember the adage that DTP != WP.


...

> The other thing limiting take up of Scribus is marketing. There is no 
> way the time at this stage is going to be spent on that, and i am not 
> even sure it should be done.

Nor am I.


> This really is my other point. Not that 
> Scribus should become a dumbed down popular program, but that that would 
> be the price of making it popular.

:)  Then let's not. Though as I said, I'm not sure that easy of use and 
functionality have to be mutually exclusive.


> If you think of Quark, the leader in the publishing field for decades, 
> slowly being copied and challenged by Pagemaker, Serif and others you 
> see the dumbing down process in action.

I don't know that Pagemaker is dumber down quark ?


> Quark was uncompromisingly for 
> professionals;

With Adobe prices so are Pagemaker and InDe.


> Then Serif [or whoever was first] realised there was a whole bunch of 
> amateur users of print that might buy the software to lower costs or 
> even to achieve different results... Since it costs a lot of money for 
> commercial development the program had to meet the wants and abilities 
> of the new user.
> 
> Non-technical and not wanting to learn much to be able to use the 
> program. Quark itself has had to do some dumbing down to meet the 
> competition. A penalty of the commercial marketplace.

Only if it reduced functionality. Did it ?


> As you are really saying scribus is not in competition with these, nor 
> should it be. But that is where the big numbers are.

I wouldn't say it's not in competition with them. I've given up spending 
money on Adobe because they didn't fix show stopping bugs and charge an 
arm and a leg for upgrades, and scribus is more cost effective.

My perception is based on direct experience rather than marketing, and 
I'm not sure that marketing OSS is really what it is or should be about.

OSS isn't about creating a _perception_ of superiority. It's about doing 
what it says on the tin.


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