[mythtv-users] Why Free Software has poor usability ?

[JEDIDIAH]

On Wed, Aug 06, 2008 at 04:02:28PM +0100, lists_mythtv_users wrote:
> Michael T. Dean wrote:
> > On 08/04/2008 06:21 PM, Matt S. wrote:
> >   
> >> On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 12:15 PM, Brian Wood wrote:
> >>   
> >>     
> >>> Param Singh wrote:
> >>>     
> >>>       
> >>>> Interesting article :: Why Free Software has poor usability, and how
> >>>> to improve it
> >>>> ============================================================
> >>>> Link :: http://mpt.net.nz/archive/2008/08/01/free-software-usability
> >>>> ============================================================
> >>>>
> >>>> Major Points in the article
> >>>>
> >>>> * Weak incentives for usability.
> >>>> * Few good designers.
> >>>> * Design suggestions often aren't invited or welcomed.
> >>>>         
> >>> Well those first 3 certainly do not apply to the MythTV project.
> >>>     
> >>>       
> >> You are joking right?  These first 3 defintely apply to myth and if
> >> you don't think that, then that's exactly the kind of behavior that
> >> this article is pointing out.
> >>   
> >>     
> > ...
> >   
> >> *Usability - could be WAY better.  I would never want to deploy myth
> >> to someone who wasn't technical like me.  However, I like it, because
> >> I am a power user.  But, usability has never been a primary focus of
> >> the project, it's always been secondary to functionality.  In fact, go
> >> search the archives and you'll get nearly 500+ emails on usability:
> >> http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/engine?list=mythtv&do=search_results&search_forum=forum_1&search_string=usability&search_type=AND
> >> not to mention I remember a thread from a couple years ago where
> >> someoen was offering to do usability testing on myth because they felt
> >> usability sucked, but it wasn't really welcomed - I think it might
> >> have been this thread:
> >> http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/158724?search_string=usability%20test;#158724
> >> or this great example:
> >> http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/172094?search_string=usability%20assessment;#172094
> >> (couldn't find the whole thread on Gossamer).
> >>
> >>   
> >>     
> >
> > OK.  My view of MythTV (based on what I've seen on the lists) shows that 
> > the biggest usability problem with MythTV is the sheer number of options 
> > that users must configure appropriately when first setting up their 
> > system.  That's also the reason for "competitors" (are we really 
> > competing with anyone?) use "mythtv is a lot of work" as a marketing 
> > tool (as pointed out by the OP in a follow-up at 
> > http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/344625#344625 ).
> >
> > So, a while ago, as part of the Google Summer of Code, a very zealous 
> > student decided to help out with usability by making it easier to setup 
> > and configure ( 
> > http://mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/SoC2006#Settings_Rework.2FEnhancements 
> > ).  So, he posted a message to the -dev list with his proposed changes ( 
> > http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/dev/207059#207059 ) and all 
> > sorts of users came out of the woodwork to tell him exactly why all the 
> > /completely useless/ settings he was proposing to remove needed to stay 
> > (read the whole thread to see--my favorite was the "Time offset for 
> > thumbnail preview images," which some clueless users still think is useful).
> >
> > So, what happened?  The poor kid basically didn't have a chance at 
> > finishing the project because we were forced to:
> >
> >   
> >> * Placating people with options. - Seriously, do I even need to point
> >> out the hundreds of discussions on simplifying settings?  Also, what
> >> about the "hidden" options that are only available by directly editing
> >> the database.
> >>     
> >
> >   
> Sounds like guided procedure could help.  Keep all the options, default
> to having some of them hidden (unless the user chooses to switch on some

...or you can sum it up like so: Have useful defaults.

Defining that could be tricky but the basic idea is there.

Take mencoder and h264 as an example. There are a LOT of options
that you could try. OTOH, you could just use the defaults and get
something very useful. An Archos will be quite happy with the 
result. So you don't need to get into all the arcane bits in order
to start using the tool right off the bat. You also don't have to
ELIMINATE the more arcane options to make life easier for the n00b.

> sort of expert mode) and have a "Help me setup" guided procedure that
> asks as few questions as possible with the goal of creating a working
> system using sensible defaults.

Also keep in mind that building your own PVR is going to just be
inherently complex. Just take something like IR blasters as an
example. Even setting up one of these with a Tivo is going to 
probably take a fair amount of fiddling around and this is something
that's an "appliance".