Why Free Software has poor usability, and how to improve it

Very good article.

Although the attitude of software developers that forbid including more flexibility and
options isn't good in my opinion.
Flexibility makes the program be more usable to more people.
I for example am very rarely happy with default settings of any program,
and the program that has most options usually fits me better.

I think that plugins are the best way to have both clean, and customizable interface.

(And I do mean that plugins should be shipped with application, but some can be disabled)

the problem with simplicity and 'non complex programs' is that a simple user interface often
needs vastly more complex program code, especially if the problem to solve is naturally
complex or very broadly defined. combining lots of algorithm options into a program that 'just
works' needs heuristics to guess these options right -- which makes it harder to use for
people in the know who then have to guess how to make the program so what they want. expecting
to get things like 'parental controls, a setup assistant, or the ability to import settings
from competing software' from 'a culture of simplicity, by praising restrained design and
ridiculing complex design' is just wrong from the developer's viewpoint, and as the developers
are just human too, they do what they are able to and let the other parts for others. not
every developer is a specialist in parental control library interfaces, software packaging and
installation on heterogeneous systems or parsing and importing foreign file formats. for the
developer just scratching the own itch it is completely natural to 1) start with the 'doing
the job' part of the program and 2) evenly spread out the complexity between functional code
and user interface.

Instead of spending more time listening to the words of the "usability expert", what could
make it simpler for volunteer UI designers to submit patches?

I'll rephrase or corrupt if you like a famous saying:

Premature usability is the root of all evil.

My problem with the linux desktop isn't that the button order, or
whatever.
It is simply that it has yet to do everything I need. I would much prefer
that the developers spend their limited time and resources filling the
functionality requirements first.

A second problem is that is comes back to the old shiny object. I've
finally
come upon a driver for my ati card that actually recognizes and uses the
resolution of my monitor. I had to build it, and install it, but it works
without the eternal fiddling. And I finally have a driver that doesn't crash.
Oddly enough, having reliable, working, simple to use software for the basics
of the computer operation has more to do with usability than some layout of a
dialog. And usability experts don't have much to contribute in this
endeavor.

And third, my experience with the word usability when connected with some
change in free software has almost univerally meant that I can't do something
anymore. There are actual experts now who are overcoming this prejudice, and
I welcome their efforts. Meritocracy means someone has to prove their
worth.

When someone produces something like 
http://weblog.obso1337.org/2008/expert-review-of-knetwork...
which represents hours of work and thought, what can you say. Free software
needs this contribution.

Derek

No idea what he is talking about. Xmonad, Emacs, Python, Latex, git, mc 
is just productive, and unmached in usability by any commercial product. 

If I watch experienced people use software designed with man-years 
of "usability research" I get nervous: endless clicking through dialogs, 
popup boxes, single/double-click confusion, no virtual desktops, chaotic 
file system layout, uninstallers all over the place.. c'mon.

People designing their own software to their own needs is what counts. 
And since there is choice, everyone can use the most productive software 
for their taste and need (ever evolving, off course).

tnoo