How do I start an open source GUI design project? I want to initiate an open-source style project to design an advanced (animated) GUI for a new application. No initial commercial ambitions...just an ambition/curiosity of mine.
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open source
Moderator: peterZ
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strider1551
- Posts: 126
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Re: open source
There really aren't any rules... I think most small projects start with a single developer who writes some code, chooses an opensource license of his/her preference, and tosses it on the Internet. Larger projects require more planning, of course.
If you aren't a developer but just have an awesome idea, then it gets harder. Except for large, significant projects, most opensource programs are written by programmers in their spare time for fun and to scratch a personal itch. They're building something they want to use. This means you need to sell a programmer on your idea, and the idea needs to be something that the programmer will actually use.
My big general advice for anyone starting an opensource project: use professional project hosting like Google Code. Open source thrives because of the ability for developers to communicate with each other and with users. The tools that make it possible are things like repository hosting, issue tracking, documentation, mailing lists, rss feeds, and so on. You might start out as a single developer, but if there is no capacity or means for collaboration, you'll never grow beyond yourself.
If you aren't a developer but just have an awesome idea, then it gets harder. Except for large, significant projects, most opensource programs are written by programmers in their spare time for fun and to scratch a personal itch. They're building something they want to use. This means you need to sell a programmer on your idea, and the idea needs to be something that the programmer will actually use.
My big general advice for anyone starting an opensource project: use professional project hosting like Google Code. Open source thrives because of the ability for developers to communicate with each other and with users. The tools that make it possible are things like repository hosting, issue tracking, documentation, mailing lists, rss feeds, and so on. You might start out as a single developer, but if there is no capacity or means for collaboration, you'll never grow beyond yourself.