Stefanie SchulteMay 15, 2017

Some random thoughts about #TiddlyWiki, which is - in my opinion - a very interesting piece of free and open source software targeted at end-users.

http://tiddlywiki.com/

It's a personal note-taking app which can be stored in a single HTML file (including JavaScript code and content).

The TiddlyWiki file can be saved locally or uploaded to a server, and it can be encrypted end-to-end. Installation on Node.js is possible, too, with slightly different features. 1/

Show threadStefanie Schulte

Despite its qualities, #TiddlyWiki is probably going to stay niche for the following reasons:

1.) Many of its features require inserting code (markup) into the text fields.
2.) Many features aren't very well documented.

With regards to 1.), TiddlyWiki isn't very different from MS Word or Excel, in my opinion. They often require macros, and Excel formulas can get quite complicated, too.

However, MS has greater market(ing) power, and documentation tends to be better, too. 2/

May 15, 2017 at 6:13pmWeb
Show threadStefanie SchulteMay 15, 2017
Bottom line: Poor usability and complexity are important reasons why free and open source software often doesn't get widely adopted. However, we shouldn't forget that proprietary programs such as MS Excel can have steep learning curves, too. People are just more used to them, and it's easier to get help. 3/
Show threadinmysocks Of Doom, Naked KSCMay 15, 2017

@stefanieschulte I think that you hit exactly the problems with TiddlyWiki. I actually have a website for documentation, but it is rather out of date by now.

Unfortunately the dev team is made up of people like me who can make things but are bad at talking about it.

Show thread:two_hearts:EuphoriaMay 15, 2017
@stefanieschulte
One of the nice things about a program like TiddlyWiki is that some enterprising developer can expand on it, making it easier to use, and possibly more well documented without having to ask anyone's permission.
Show threadDominic DuffinMay 16, 2017
@stefanieschulte Also where documentation does exist for OSS it tends to be written in fairly technical language, which is great for those of us who have good technical knowledge (indeed I prefer more technical documentation) but is probably off-putting for people who don't have that technical knowledge and just want top understand how to use the basic features of software, perhaps with little interest in how it actually works.
Show threadDominic DuffinMay 16, 2017
@stefanieschulte I also think that many non-technical people may not be aware of the existence of OSS alternatives to the software they use. They simply use what came with their computer when they bought it, or what they can buy in a shop. Many people are unsure about installing software on their computer themselves, and proprietary software such as MS Office often comes pre-installed, simply requiring activation.
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKMay 16, 2017

@dominicduffin1 @stefanieschulte on lower end laptops or "new" PC's its just a link to MS store, you still have to buy the actual Office software (although its way cheaper than it once was)

Also, especially for more advanced tasks I do think M$ might have put *slightly* more effort into help on F1 screens, including examples of how the function works.

I quite often press F1 on a FOSS app and get blanco screen or "to be done" (and even website has no further info)

Show threadRysiekúr (old account)May 16, 2017

@vfrmedia @dominicduffin1 @stefanieschulte that's entirely true. FLOSS projects do not have time/resources to do all the "auxiliary" stuff like documentation, help content, support, sometimes even good UI/UX design.

One way to solve it is for users to support the FLOSS projects we use, financially; and for developers/project leads to recognize this and ask for donations.

Crowdfunding for specific tasks can help a lot.

Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKMay 16, 2017

@rysiek @dominicduffin1 @stefanieschulte

true although my experience of some projects is devs don't always want to "let go" + using GIT to raise issues is intimidating to newbies!

For all their faults MS recently seem to have recruited an "army of Chinese" (possibly from MY, SG and HK+CN), very gender diverse, polite (even when they can't help!) fluent in both Asian and European languages who handle the support enquiries for their products..

Show threadmagentaMay 15, 2017
@stefanieschulte yes, love tiddlywiki, tried forever to get it operate offline & just held out hope for non coder that with the entire file being right there, that i could modify design to my taste
Show threadStefanie SchulteMay 15, 2017
@magenta TiddlyWiki should work offline, as far as I know. It's possible to modify the design a bit in the GUI, but for more far-reaching changes to the existing themes, HTML and CSS are probably required.