Re: The "user-developer gap" myth

[CUTblakeney@home.com (Jeff Blakeney)]

On Thu, 29 Jun 2000 05:21:04 -0500, Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>
wrote:

>     If someone develops software and/or hardware for the Apple II or for
>interfacing the Apple II to another computer or for running Apple II software
>on another platform, then, that person may reasonably be called an "Apple II
>developer". This applies even if the person does not release a new product
>every month.

I agree which is why I apologized for forgetting about that aspect of
Oasis.  However, in my post I separated the terms developer and active
because a person like Lord British was an Apple II developer but is no
longer active.

>     Evidently, your objective is to take every developer who gets along well
>with users-- which is something above 95% of all developers-- and just define
>them out of existence in order to come up with some big gap between
>"developers" and users. Won't fly.

No, that is not my objective but thanks for trying to make one up for
me.  :-)

If people create new stuff for the Apple II then I will call them a
developer.  Whether they are active developers or not is another
story.

>     Your so-called "gap" is clearly bogus. To believe in such a thing (if
>you really do) requires a _wish_ to believe. Why would you wish for there to
>be a gap between users and developers?

I don't wish for there to be a gap between users and developers.  I
just know that there is a gap between users and developers.  That gap
is due to different levels of knowledge.  How many users know how to
write programs?  If they know how to write programs and have released
it, then I would consider them a developer.  Maybe a small one and
maybe not a very active one but a developer none the less.

Do you not see the gap there?  One knows how to program and the other
doesn't.  One can create new software for the Apple II and the other
can't.

There is definitely a gap.  An analogy could be between someone who
simply drives a car and someone who knows how to fix one (ie. a
mechanic).  The driver knows how to use the car but doesn't know how
to fix it if it breaks or how to make it perform better.  The person
with the mechanical knowledge does know this and therefore there is a
gap in knowledge between a mechanic and a driver.

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