#OpenSource and #FreeSoftware is predicated on people "scratching their own itch", with the expectation that if a solution is useful to you, it will likely be useful to others. But that breaks down when it comes to hard, niche problems that require specialized knowledge and skills. Things like good accessibility in desktop environments doesn't happen without lots of effort, knowledge and intent.
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Esteban K�ber :rust: (ekuber@hachyderm.io)'s status on Wednesday, 03-Jul-2024 02:50:04 JST Esteban K�ber :rust: -
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Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Wednesday, 03-Jul-2024 03:09:04 JST Paul Cantrell @ekuber
This is a real conundrum.Surely much of the problem (and solution?) comes from the fact that so many of the things that are necessary for truly excellent usability and accessibility (design expertise, user testing, iterative design, triage, product mgmt chops, assembling a team w/diverse perspectives, managing & resolving the healthy tensions that creates, etc) feel like the very things OSS developers are often trying to escape: process burden, painful compromise, deferring to others.
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Esteban K�ber :rust: (ekuber@hachyderm.io)'s status on Wednesday, 03-Jul-2024 03:09:05 JST Esteban K�ber :rust: I don't have the answer. For things like #accessibility, I do think an attitude that it falls under the spirit if not the text of the American ADA coupled with government grants to get experts to work on the problem would help. I can't fault a solution not appearing fully formed, but don't need to be happy with the results either.
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