I think that a dev has a higher rank than an user is due simply to the fact that he is working (hard) to make things, while usually users only ask and many times not too politely "I want this", "I want that", "It will be not too difficult to make this".Jee-Bee wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2022 12:29 pm I don't understand why devs are higher ranked than Users. A user is equally important as a dev and both wants the best for FC!
Currently the roadmap is pitty enough an illusion... FC don't have one(https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Development_roadmap)
Problem here are that developers are scarce and user are increasing, coming here because FC is cost less than commercial CADs, if you follow recent discussion many of them are not very respectful of a more than 22 years old effort in trying to supply an Opensource CAD.
EDIT:
Counting as developers the people who contribute with other "hard work" like maintaining documentation, helping user on the forum and other boring task, like creating packages, reporting "real" bugs, find solutions and other less visible tasks .
Added to clarify better my thought.
END EDIT:
FC could be better, surely yes, but the "roadmap" is tightly linked also to what is possible with current developers efforts and with actual available libraries, some of them have even some conflicting licenses, so even supply them bundled with FC is problematic.
Opensource is made in this way, someone, who in interest in something will code things, starting from his interest and skills, some other peoples find the work great and start using it, but who do the hard work is rarely payed for his efforts, and not only in "monetary" sense.
To have a precise "roadmap" involve having an infrastructure, many Opensource program have a foundation that raise money and fund the development, FC has not (yet) such foundation, there is FCA but his goal is mainly to "protect FC copyright (copyleft)".
But as people that has followed Opensource from some years see that even the most organized structure has some flawn, as example is not unusual that there is no a "precise" time for releases and where this is present, sometimes the roadmap is not repsected due to lack of time of programmes or other problems, not to talk about "internal fights" or similar.
From what I could see having used Linux for over 20 years, FC is in a "decent state", is improving, and is expanding in "user base", so it is relatively in "good health".
All users want that their "loved software" will improve faster, but now many efforts are concentrated on "TNP mitigation" that is involving "deep changes" in the FC codebase. (Some recent news seems to reveal that soon there will be some big PR from RT to start "TNP mitigation").
I have a solution, absolutely no.
I could think of some solutions, maybe.
A "commercial help desk" for FC where people could "pay to be helped" and this funds, will be used to refund "helpers" of the time spent in helping users and a big part will be devolved to FC to pay some "hired developers" to improve code and squash bugs.
But probably even this solution has his flaws, as you have to deal with "international laws" when dealing with money and other things, so probably a "not little" amount has to be spent to make an infrastructure that could take care of these aspects and usually it is not "very cheap" as it involve professionals that usually do them for money and not for glory.
All this post is done by an users that sometimes try to help others and is not involved in FCA and is not a developer.
Regards
Carlo D.