The Usability of Open Source Software

TitleThe Usability of Open Source Software
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2003
AuthorsNichols, DM, Twidale, MB
Refereed DesignationRefereed
Secondary TitleFirst Monday
Volume8
Issue1
Abstract

Open source communities have successfully developed a great deal of software although most computer users only use proprietary applications. The usability of open source software is often regarded as one reason for this limited distribution. In this paper we review the existing evidence of the usability of open source software and discuss how the characteristics of open source development influence usability. We describe how existing human-computer interaction techniques can be used to leverage distributed networked communities, of developers and users, to address issues of usability.

URLhttp://firstmonday.org/article/view/1018/939
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