[dev] Re: IMP development practices suggestion

[Brent J. Nordquist]

Excellent post, Rich:

On Mon, 22 Jan 2001, Rich Lafferty <rich@horde.org> wrote:

> If we want to be a power-user's webmail program, we're limiting
> ourselves to an *awfully* tiny niche. On the other hand, if we try to
> offer a general-purpose webmail program that sites can install and
> have users mostly understand from their previous experience with
> desktop mail programs and Hotmail and similar, then we've got a huge
> install base itching to install IMP.

That's the crux for me, and my own experience here validates this.  Our
manager of user services wanted webmail specifically because he thought it
was the easiest way to attract users that _aren't using email at all yet_.
He wants "simple, simple, simple".  :-)

My own interactions with users here (we have ~5,000) suggests strongly
that the vast majority of IMP users use only the most basic feature set
(compose and check-INBOX), and are typically very unsophisticated.  (But
they like it.  And "check your mail from any web browser" is a powerful
meme even to the least technical audience.)  Power users are using other
local-based apps, either for sophisticated features, heavy customization,
efficiency, or a combination.

So, the only thing I would add to the discussion:  I agree with Rich/Anil
that trying to get end-user feedback (especially through existing Horde
channels) will give marginal value for effort expended.  However, I think
there are probably IMP admins out there who know their user base well
enough to be able to give feature/design feedback that would be helpful.
(The trick, of course, is that admins are almost always sophisticated
users... and will make feature requests that are really for the admin, not
the user base.)

-- 
Brent J. Nordquist <bjn@horde.org>
Yahoo!: Brent_Nordquist / AIM: BrentJNordquist / ICQ: 76158942