OSNews

I understand where the article is coming from but with open source software there is an innate bloat because the focus is not on elegance; but options, it seems. It's more focused on what you can do then how easy it is do do it.

For instance, if I buy a product that has everything in it and all the features but they are very hard to use or don't work well with the other features. Like buying an enterprise quality fan. It might have all these features that get in the way or it's too bulky and big.. A regular fan might have 3 very useful features that work quickly, quietly, and well with the other two. That's where closed software has the higher ground still and is winning. It goes to the mantra 'keep it simple stupid.' Photoshop elements, TrueSpcae3d, Renderman. Blender seems bloated with no easy options or modes to do simple quick things. Kaffeine can't touch WMP with a 10 foot pole in usability. ITunes is still better then Amarok.

Most anyone could copy anybody else and get the basic features for their software.. But when it comes to accessibility, design and ergonomics of access that can only be done by an independent person or company usually who has the skills to do so on their own in a back room somewhere. At some point their has to be invention or conception from an individual mind and not a borg system. In order for a product to kick ass they have to be very specialized and not co-dependent on 20 million standards. In a sense I agree with Bill Hilf on certain points here. It's usually the very capitalist way but also very American to want to create your own product and not mooch off of others. Not saying open source does that but needs to become more direct as the pure intention of the creator. Maybe it is in some departments like with XMMS but I just haven't gotten that feel lately.

If GPL continues to copy everyone else or just be feature rich without usefulness or ease of use it will remain a backup software and noting more that I use and like allot. That's what I started using it for. I usually back up all my prop software with GPL. Linux is a tuff one since I'm still getting used to it. I still use Windows for things like Everquest 2, and some windows only GPL software that's quite nice under Gnumeric; and Linux on the duel boot..

Programs have to do one thing well and not just everything pretty good. It can get overly communal at times with FOSS but programmers like that. Bill Gates might have been off when he said communism in the way he did, but sometimes it does have that feel to it. Pure Communism is slow and clunky. Obviously pure capitalism is too greedy. I don't want to have a clunky browser with too many website standards. Well anyway.
It's like if a carpenter only relied on basic tools for his work and not wanting to go out and get that really specialized tool. The super hammer 5000XL with the special switch that gives the extra umph needed so he saves an extra hour of work time and can get to the club earlier that night.. I do understand how prop lock-in can limit this as well though. Plus you can't copy a super special switch . That's what makes a product unique. Copying Vista's stuff wont cut it or XGL should take the forefront if it doesn't in a capitalist market it will get crushed and that's the way it should be. Maybe they need an open source graphics card to accomplish this maybe not but I do like the idea and can't wait until it ships.

I am still not totally comfortable with closed hardware and software and it's lock-jn and seemingly endless pricing at this point but it does usually give me exactly what I want usually on the front end even if after you get bad tastes in your mouth VLC player really is nice but doesn't seem to have those extra , what I call, showroom usefulness features like VLC doesn't really have a media organizer like WMP;. GIMP and Krita are esoterical. I can't simply draw a straight line in GIMP without stroking a path. Perhaps it's just better to have open source software combined with closed. Why can't someone just come out with something that's more specialized like Photoshop but open though. I guess Xara is doing that but can it be accomplished in the FOSS business model with their tools?

Also with ODF, if MS supported ODF, wouldn't they have to open source their formats? How would others support MS formats while supporting ODF(XML)? Wouldn't that homogenize things? Maybe open XML could be a good idea?