Hi William, I think your observations might get more interest on the [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list.
Ciao, Mathias William Case wrote: > Hi; > > I have been on the OOo users list for some two years and using OOo for > as long. I went to the www.openoffice.org site just to see why there is > so much confusion for newbies (OOo beginners). > > Even I was flustered. > > Being flustered the first time one downloads, installs or uses a new > application and/or operating system is something that can happen to us > all -- no matter how intelligent or savvy one is. It is an emotional > state brought on by FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt). > > Microsoft and others may spread and enhance FUD in order to keep > clients, but they do not create it. It is a normal human emotional > reaction to gambling on something that *may* have a steep learning > curve; *may* be (to them) completely non-intuitive; *may* cost them all > their time and money invested in learning something like Word; *may* > have formats not shareable with others; and *may* put years worth of > documents and other work at risk. Often there are also time pressures > involved. > > At www.openoffice.org I found: > > 1) the so-called download button didn't look like a button; > 2) the support tab (page) was confusing, giving far too many unnecessary > choices; > 3) no tips; > 4) no explanation of the difference between downloading and installing; > 5) no reassurances as a newcomer proceeds; > 6) even finding this Discussion mailing list was filled with FUD. > etc. > > Never did find the questions email site that inserts "YOU MUST GIVE A > SUMMARY HERE". I have no idea where people with problems are finding > that site. > > I recently gave a short talk about Linux to a group of 20 non-tech MS > users. The Q & A afterwards, from all 20, turned primarily into > questions about what would happen to their Word documents if they > migrated to Linux and OOo. > > *I* know the answers. I gave them the right answers. It still didn't > reduce their FUD very much. From their prospective, too much was at > risk. > > I can see, given the flustered factor, why so many people are having so > much trouble with the basics. I don't have the answers. But somehow > the www.openoffice.org site has to be re-thought and the first > impression of OOo has to be greatly improved if OOo wants to challenge > MS Office. > -- Mathias Bauer (mba) - Project Lead OpenOffice.org Writer OpenOffice.org Engineering at Sun: http://blogs.sun.com/GullFOSS Please don't reply to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]". I use it for the OOo lists and only rarely read other mails sent to it. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
