@devurandom @xerz @cwebber free software should be easier to use than proprietary versions of the same thing. Why has that not been the ultimate goal all along? The goal should be to make proprietary models obsolete.
@ailurocrat @devurandom@cybre.space @xerz @cwebber
The problem here, I feel, is that user interface design is _not_ an easy problem.
Someone - or a group of someones - may put a lot of effort into making a piece of properly free software that does X. Before they can get to that point, they need to have a very good idea of *how* to do X; so they study up on the matter, understand all the ins and outs, and really figure out how to understand X. Then they make the software. Only at that point do they slap on a quick UI; which makes perfect sense to _them_. If they're reasonably good at what they do, then it will also make sense to someone who really understands the ins and outs of X and takes some time to learn that specific interface.
What it does not do is, it does not make sense to a hobbyist who has only the vaguest understanding of X. And thus the user interface gains a reputation for inscrutable interfaces.
(Hopefully, several versions down the line, the dev team manages to create a more newbie-friendly interface; but by this time, they already have the reputation...)
@ccc @devurandom @xerz @cwebber yes devs need to focus on the newbie friendly interface stuff early on, I totally agree.