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The rise and rise of open source software (OSS) continues. Free OSS versions of operating systems (e.g. Linux), desktop applicationss (e.g. OpenOffice) and Content Management Systems (e.g. Mambo) are among the most popular in their categories.

What's surprising is that we use so few open source apps. After all, Sourceforge.net -- home to most OSS -- currently lists circa. 140,000 projects.

Why hasn't OSS penetrated more markets? Well, OSS is typically designed and developed by hardcore geeks, who do so partly to escape the annoying constraints of developing commercial software. These annoying constraints, however, are often directly related to the end-user's needs. As the author of usability classic "The Inmates are Running the Asylum" puts it:

The open-source movement is arguably a haven for these frustrated programmers -- a place where they can write code according to their own standards and be judged solely by their peers, without the advice or intervention of marketers or managers.

So, what can we do to improve the usability of open source apps? One initiative that's worth a look is OpenUsability - a site that aims to match open source developers with usability engineers.

Which usability engineers would be interested? That, in my opinion, is the rub. Most usability experts worth their salt are busy with the projects keeping them gainfully employed. Professional usability engineers and information architects are rarer breeds than software developers.

Would-be experts -- the equivalent of armchair football managers -- are more common and more likely, in my opinion, to respond to OpenUsability's call. After 20 minutes' browsing the members section, I found a dozen members who claimed on their profiles to be usability experts. None offered credentials (neither qualifications nor work experience) to back up these claims. A few provided website links but the sites were unimpressive. One even had a Flash intro -- the cardinal sin of website usability!

The biggest flaw in OpenUsability's premise is that developers decide whether or not to implement usability changes. In my experience, developers will stubbornly resist changes recommended by a usability reviewer. The more labourious the fix, the stronger their resistance.

The OpenUsability project must overcome these issues if it is to make open source software more user-friendly.