There is a vast difference between someone that feels that they know something because of a degree and someone that feels confidence because they have been required to truely learn something. I am not saying that a degree is without value. Formal education is important, but it is only the first step of many. Bloom’s Taxonomy for learning shows that simply knowing something does not mean that we can use that knowledge. Experience allows one to have a profound understanding of any particular topic.

We taught Justin (who has kindly been helping us as acting as our non-technical tester) how to properly file a bug report and he went to town on it. After a few days of testing he came up with over 25 usability issues that would cause problems with any new or non-technical user.

A lot of these problems have been related to poor working, orthers were simply poor placement of buttons. We are still making our way through the list, but this has already vastly improved the usability of the timeclock software.

So why am I blogging about this? Two reasons. First, we can always use more people testing. Second, if open source is to succeed beyond the technical audience, it needs to focus on the end user. That means we need to be going directly to the end users and learn what they like, dislike, and would want changed. Too many open source projects are nearing technical perfection but will never see the user base that they should because end users don’t see how good it is. With so many volunteer man hours being expended, we the community, should make it our responsibility to see to it that they are properly tested for usability. We the developers need to put aside our pride and make sure that each and every reported bug is resolved, even ones that are just for usability and that we feel have easy workarounds. Only then can we achieve the polish needed to reach everyone.

I guess my point is that we need to be seeking all bugs, not just ones that are technical. This includes small annoyances with software, not just showstopping bugs.

I installed Avant Window Navigator using the software center and fired it up. It didn’t take long before it was installed and ready to run. After I used it for a short while, I decided I would go all out and start using it. I removed the panels (using gconf) and have been quite happy since. There are a few things I have learned though.

First… For some reason, my super key combinations (those using the windows key) don’t work anymore. I changed the shortcuts and they work. If anyone knows why, please let me know.

Second… You will want to install gnome-do. The menu applet that is available for AWN has a “Launch” feature that requires it.

Third… Install the extra plugins, they are well worth it. It really lets you add some nifty extras like a Pandora applet.

In short, I have tried many docks, but none has had the appeal to me that AWN has had. I have been using it for a few weeks and have had no issues at all. If you are a dock person, or have some time to test out a dock, I would strongly suggest giving it a shot.

I encourage anyone who happens to be in the area to drop by and say hello. We would love to hear what you think of the location and what we have done with it.

Not only are we planning on using it as a storefront, it will also be acting as an office for myself, Scott, and Shaun, our artist. It will also be a conference room for meeting with clients and such. The Rexburg Opensource User Group will also be meeting there.

Well, that’s all for now. Until next time…

Open source has taught me how to work with people, as both a leader and a follower. I have always tried to give back to open source, and before I knew how to code, the only thing I could do was test and provide bug reports. During that time, I had to learn how to properly reproduce problems, document how to do so, then report it to the proper group of people. It’s an experience that has helped me in my current work environment, and has helped me with training my team. Also, it has helped me to work with my team when reporting issues with sites and applications that we are developing.

Open source has taught me patience. I haven’t met any open source developer that didn’t want to enhance a project they worked on, however, I have met many open source coders that are short on time. You can’t ask them to work on your features, and you certainly can’t ask that they work on your features immediately. It has to be asked while thinking of the greater good and that sometimes means putting yourself on the back burner.

Open source has taught me that it really is better to share than to horde. We all learned early in our education that we should be sharing. Why then, do we try to horde everything as we grow older? Through my experience I’ve learned that sharing helps build trust, encourage transparency, and makes competition healthy by making companies improve services and customer experience.

Even if you aren’t a developer, I strongly encourage you to get involved in the world of open source. By doing so, you will make a difference and learn valuable skills.

Vastly improved interface.
Inline editing in reports.
Fine grained ACL
API for third party applications
Speed Enhancements (most reports take less than 1 second.)
Punch tagging (this is a really slick feature I will blog about later)
Automated overtime calculation
Better timezone management
Begginings of localization abilities
Group summary reports
Solid import/export abilities
and much more….

As you can see, we have been busy. We have also revamped the website. We are also making a virtual appliance and will be entering it in the Dister content. We encourage everyone to check it out. It should make life easier for those that have virtual environments in place.

If you feel like we should work towards some other features, please let us know at http://tickets.thenexussolution.com .

Social networking is really a marvel in and of itself.  It lets you reach a large audience very quickly and, when used responsibly, can promote good ideas and encourage collaboration.  Just like any tool though, I’m noticing more and more that it really can mess up your life.  I keep finding stories of people doing stupid things and then updating their Facebook page to reflect that.  That just doesn’t seem wise.  Oh well, I guess as long as I’m not horribly stupid and not anxious to let the world know, I should be ok.