[xmlWiki-developers] Re: Customer role

[Hugo G. <xm...@ya...>]

Yup

I have been thinking that maybe when users start downloading an open source
project that there will actually be two types of customers or rather
sub/customers.

1) those that use the product but do not program
2) those that use the product and program

I think that dealing with #1 would be the problem of whoever maintains a
particular project. In effect the maintainer becomes a proxy for all those who
fall under #1.

#2 is more difficult since the programmers would probrably send code fixes or
additions. How would these code fixes or additions impact the planning of a
particular release? (I once ran into an email posted on the XP mailing list
from Kent Beck regarding how they manage new code or fixes in Junit an open
source project. He has people submit unit tests! and then they code around it.)

-H

--- CS327 TA <cs3...@cs...> wrote:
> 
> > I think that the real customer(s) of an open source project are all the
> users
> > who download the program, use it, and ask for new features and bug fixes.
> Of
> > course in the first release there are no customer(s). So, I wonder if it
> would
> > be helpful to define a pseudoCustomer meaning our real end user in
> conjunction
> > with the System Metaphor? Does this make sense?
> 
> The only thing I have to say about this is that XP emphasizes that "The
> customer speaks with one voice". I am already warning some other projects
> that are having "requirements explosions" or "conflicting requirements"
> to take heed of this.
> 
> So, you need to know what you want. If you pretend to be someone else
> (users you haven't even met yet), you may find yourself in trouble.
> 
> Just a thought,
> 	Andrew.
> 
> 
> 


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No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.

-Epictetus (A.D. c. 50?c. 138) : Discourses. Chap. xv.

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