Answer from Brendan

Summary Shown

Hide Summary

Go to List of Participants

Brendan regards himself/herself as:

1. What are the objectives of an IFHOSP site?

1.1 build a better mousetrap
To facilitate software development in a better way
1.2 distribute a better mousetrap
To make software with better quality available to the world
1.3 maintain a better mousetrap
To facilitate software development in a better way
1.4 support and enhance a better mousetrap
To facilitate software development in a better way
1.5 share the pain and the gain
To build a sense of community of between developers for a project
1.6 get someone to write documentation ;->
To facilitate documentation
1.7 build an audience of folks who will share the load of software development and support
To promote existing project(s) to developers and attract contribution
To build a sense of community of between developers for a project
1.8 in our research case, like yours, to understand how folks work in a voluntary framework
To provide data for research

2. What tools can be employed on an IFHOSP site and what are the important features and usability factors for each of them?

Tool 1: mirror   Mirror/rsync

2.1 Brief Description

ancient but effective way to share the load by allowing duplicate sites to share the downloads
Share the load of one site by allowing hosting on duplicate sites

2.1.2 What are the important features of this tools?

No Response!

2.1.3 What are the important usability factors of this tools?

No Response!

Tool 2: rsync   Mirror/rsync

2.2 Brief Description

a better solution than mirror
Share the load of one site by allowing hosting on duplicate sites

2.2.2 What are the important features of this tools?

No Response!

2.2.3 What are the important usability factors of this tools?

No Response!

Tool 3: ftp   FTP Server

2.3 Brief Description

in any incarnation. the tool of choice for downloads
The tool of choice to provide download service

2.3.2 What are the important features of this tools?

No Response!

2.3.3 What are the important usability factors of this tools?

No Response!

Tool 4: cvs   Source Code Repository

2.4 Brief Description

helps track changes to projects
CVS (Concurrent Versions System)
Maintains a centralised repository of current and previous versions of source code, documentation, etc.

2.4.2 What are the important features of this tools?

No Response!

2.4.3 What are the important usability factors of this tools?

No Response!

Tool 5: www server - apache and others   WWW Server

2.5 Brief Description

can't live without it
Essential service for IFSHOP

2.5.2 What are the important features of this tools?

No Response!

2.5.3 What are the important usability factors of this tools?

No Response!

Tool 6: php and mysql   WWW Server-side Scripting System and Database Server

2.6 Brief Description

provide database support and access
Provide database support and access

2.6.2 What are the important features of this tools?

No Response!

2.6.3 What are the important usability factors of this tools?

No Response!

3. What work practices and culture should be promoted?

3.1 cooperation
Cooperation and collaboration, encourage involvement of developers to share the load of development
3.2 sharing the load
Cooperation and collaboration, encourage involvement of developers to share the load of development
3.3 openness as to skills and time commitments
Welcome help from less skilled developers and understand their potential to become high skilled developers
Flexibility towards volunteers
3.4 tolerance toward others particularly across languages and cultures
Tolerance, respect and patience
Awareness of different culture and language background
3.5 patience but firmness
Tolerance, respect and patience
Firmness
3.6 fulfilling contracts

clarification: doing what you say that you will do and expecting others to do what they say they will do

Keeping promises
3.7 avoid force
Avoid force
3.8 critique for the sake of the task

clarification: (previous answer: critique for the same of the task) mistyping on my part. should be critique for the sake of the task. that is being constructively critical of products, procedures and people including task leaders

Critique for the sake of the task
3.9 jane jacob's systems of survival's commercial moral syndrome
Jane Jacob's systems of survival's commercial moral syndrome

4. What are factors that movitate users to use an IFHOSP site?

4.1 free stuff
Low Cost or Free
4.2 fast access
Fast access, responsive (high bandwidth and power server)
4.3 easy access
Ease of use, high usability
4.4 good documentation
Quality documentation or meta documentation such as roadmaps
4.5 reliable stuff
Reliable
4.6 latest stuff
The site is frequently updated
4.7 ease of use
Ease of use, high usability

5. What are barriers that prevent users from using an IFHOSP site?

5.1 cluelessness
Low in technical skill, inexperience in using an IFHOSP
5.2 low geek level
Low in technical skill, inexperience in using an IFHOSP
5.3 poor access tools
Poor access tools
5.4 poor publicity
Poor publicity, cannot find the site
5.5 poor documentation
Lack of documentation and/or information or poor quality documentation and/or information so that users could not work out how to use the site
5.6 the odd urge to pay for software rather than help build it yourself
The odd urge to pay for software rather than help build it yourself

6. What are the positive results for users in using an IFHOSP site?

6.1 great software
Great programs will be produced
6.2 great community
Building or joining a community and increase sense of belonging
6.3 self-reliance

clarification: realizing that you can do things yourself (see R W Emerson, American philosopher

Self-reliance, freedom of doing things by oneself
6.4 autonomy

clarification: acting on one's own in a completely independent way

Autonomy, being able to be completely independent from others
6.5 flexibility

clarification: being able to select from many ways of doing things

Flexibility, being able to select from many ways of doing things

7. What are the negative results for users in using an IFHOSP site?

7.1 possible confusion
Possible confusion when trying to use an IFHOSP site
7.2 having to rely on one's self

clarification: now you're self-reliant. some times that's not good. it's so much more fun to blame say microsoft or ibm or dell. now you've got yourself to blame too

Having to rely on one's self. There is no other party or company to put the blame on.

8. What are factors that motivate adminstrators to setup or maintain an IFHOSP site?

8.1 desire to be involved in the community
To get involved, support and give back to the community
8.2 desire to have co-conspirators on projects
To get assistance or to attract from people from all over the world or to attract developers
8.3 need to be loved and respected
To get credit and/or respect from the community
8.4 altruism (seriously)
Altruism, having fun of helping people
8.5 desire for decent working flexible code
The desire for getting decent working flexible software

9. What are barriers that prevent adminstrators from setting up or maintaining an IFHOSP site?

9.1 good ones eat your bandwidth alive
Network/Bandwidth limitation
9.2 cranky developers think they are gods to be served
Unreasonable request from developers and/or users
9.3 hardware restraints - disk, processing power etc
Hardware Limitation

10. What are the positive results for adminstrators in setting up or maintaining an IFHOSP site?

10.1 status
Get credit or status in Open Source/Free Software communities
10.2 good code
Quality Software
10.3 good documenatation
Quality Documentation
10.4 good friends
Make good friends
10.5 good support
Quality support on software
10.6 free t-shirts
Free t-shirts

11. What are the negative results for adminstrators in setting up or maintaining an IFHOSP site?

11.1 swamped by involvement
Swamped by involvement from other developers
11.2 grumpy boss wants bandwidth back
Bandwidth limitation (too much traffic, boss want bandwidth back, etc.)
11.3 grumpy programmers want all the credit
Credit dispute with other developers
11.4 grumpy users want you to do their job for them
Demanding users want administrators to do their job for them

12. What are other important issues in IFHOSP?

12.1 No Comment.


Hide Summary

Go to List of Participants


Generated On: 27 Sep 2002