I am your user. Why do you hate me?
Presented by
Donna Benjamin
Thursday
2:15 p.m.–3 p.m.
Target audience:
Community
Abstract
Open source software projects can be prickly toward their users. Poor documentation, a steep learning curve, and a finely tuned focus on excellence and quality can make a project community seem hostile. As users of many different open source projects over the years, Donna Benjamin and Leslie Hawthorn have often wondered about this problem and contemplated what to do about it. This session takes their long-standing private rant public in the hopes that it will help us all be better developers, collaborators and community members.
Presented by
Donna Benjamin
Donna Benjamin is a Project Lead at Catalys Australia. She is part of a global team of skilled open source technologists, who specialise in developing, designing and supporting enterprise grade systems using open source technologies.
Donna is a passionate advocate of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) solutions for small business and education. In particular, the use of web applications on the Drupal platform, open source graphics tools such as Inkscape and GIMP, and the Moodle and Sugar learning platforms. Donna has taken on a range of leadership roles in the Open Source community, sitting on boards and committees and organising events. She is currently a Director of the Drupal Association and the Open Australia Foundation.