The usability of open source software

David Nichols, Michael Twidale

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Open source communities have successfully developed a great deal of software although most computer users only use proprietary applications. The usability of open source software is often regarded as one reason for this limited distribution. In this paper we review the existing evidence of the usability of open source software and discuss how the characteristics of open source development influence usability. We describe how existing human-computer interaction techniques can be used to leverage distributed networked communities, of developers and users, to address issues of usability.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalFirst Monday
Volume8
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2003
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Networks and Communications

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