01080nas a2200121   4500008004100000022001400041245005800055210005400113260004200167520069400209100001900903856003600922       2009                        eng d  a1913-610200aThe Role of Consumers Within an Open Source Community0 aRole of Consumers Within an Open Source Community  aOttawabTalent First Networkc01/20093 aThe software provided by the GNOME Project is produced by a large community comprised of several thousand developers, translators, quality assurance testers, and documentation writers. Consumers are represented in the community by technical users and organizations that distribute GNOME technologies. And while the community reaches out regularly to non-technical end users and welcomes any that approach the community, these two worlds rarely interact. 

This article draws upon our experience within the GNOME Project to examine the question "Why do consumers and the community rarely interact?". Our insights may prove useful for other projects and consumers wishing more interaction.1 aPeters, Stormy  uhttp://timreview.ca/article/222