Here's another slightly different point of view...
I like the fact that many open source projects haven't been focused
on "targeting" users of particular brands of software. It has
allowed the projects to develop to be what the developers think they
should be, without a constant check like "Have we arrived yet to
challenge vendor X's package with 100% features?".
While I understand the need to compare OSS with popular proprietary
apps, for the sake of helping other users migrate, I think it is
important to remember that open source programs don't always
specifically target replacing them. This can lead to thinking that
proprietary apps have some special combination of tools, usability
and functions that must be mimicked - but its a subtle shift to just
focus on user needs instead of on how to do a 100% feature match to
some other standard. It doesn't mean, of course, that some other
package has a bunch of features worth implementing, but I think our
standards should be (1) user need and (2) developer interest -
without either of those a project is bloated or dead.
We likely all know proprietary software that has features that cost a
lot but that are ones you never use or care about. Let's not make
the same mistake. I know we aren't, but thought you might find this
viewpoint interesting to consider.
Tyler
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