TY - GEN
T1 - Open source technical support
T2 - 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS'06
AU - Singh, Vandana
AU - Twidale, Michael B.
AU - Rathi, Dinesh
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - We explore online technical support of open source software by a study of postings to discussion boards. Our results indicate that there are several types of detail that are required by the help-givers to be able to diagnose and remediate help-seekers' difficulties. As a result help interactions may iterate somewhat inefficiently. These findings are compared with studies of telephone technical help lines for commercial software, and library reference interviews. By considering certain rather problematic interactions we can identify ways to improve the process.
AB - We explore online technical support of open source software by a study of postings to discussion boards. Our results indicate that there are several types of detail that are required by the help-givers to be able to diagnose and remediate help-seekers' difficulties. As a result help interactions may iterate somewhat inefficiently. These findings are compared with studies of telephone technical help lines for commercial software, and library reference interviews. By considering certain rather problematic interactions we can identify ways to improve the process.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33749616377&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33749616377&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/HICSS.2006.370
DO - 10.1109/HICSS.2006.370
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:33749616377
SN - 0769525075
SN - 9780769525075
T3 - Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
SP - 118c
BT - Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS'06
Y2 - 4 January 2006 through 7 January 2006
ER -