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Obviously this isn't an absolute, and there are exceptions to this rule. The most important thing I can get across is this; End users do not, and will not, think like you do about your software (Read 10x). The reason you must get perspective outside your own is because yours is tainted beyond repair when looking at your own project.

So, what can you do to make your open source project more appealing to a designer?

1) Let go of preconceived bias when it comes to your UI / look-and-feel.

Someone more interested in the visual appearance and usability of your application is going to want to make changes to the workflow. Just as you test your code, test your design to make sure the designer's assumptions hold up. As a president once said, "Trust but verify."

2) Develop a clear understanding of where your designers implementation responsibilities end and yours begin (and vice versa).

Which is to say, know their limits, and know your own. If they don't know how to integrate their work into your project then either help them or find a third party that can. If you don't know how to integrate their work into your project then have them help or find a third party that can. Focus on your strengths. Nothing is more dissatisfying that seeing your work butchered.

3) Check the ego at the door/keyboard/whatever.

This applies to everyone involved in any way, shape, or form. Objectivity is the ideal, but lets be realistic. Personally I know more people who have had bad experiences volunteering / interacting with open sources projects than good (including myself). While this is anecdotal I think it's still important. Don't mistake popularity with success, and don't let popularity become validation for your lack of social skills. The people at the other end of your emails, IMs, IRC channels, etc are just that... people. The golden rule gets turned up to 11 when someone decides to take some of their free time and donate it to your cause.

This is hardly comprehensive, but I think it touches on a few points in ways I have yet to see in this thread. Keep doing your good work.

What has been troublesome over the last two years is not so much that Google seemed to look the other way (until now), but that larger media companies like AOL and Yahoo were turning to this kind of behavior as a "viable" strategy for the future. It's amazing how many people will work for very, very little an hour writing garbage as opposed to minimum wage with possible tips at a restaurant. The allure of easy money has corrupted people's incentive from the top to the very bottom.

For once I see an actual way to compete with Google. Bing could outright ban sites that produce garbage and make their search results look pretty good by comparison. The question is whether Microsoft is willing to drop the pretense of objectivity to do so. Would users care? Would advertisers?

You're suggesting a shorthand for SQL. Forgive me if I assumed you were trying to simplify something you see as too verbose and complex.

It seems there are a lot of people out there enamored with Google, but don't have any other venue to rub elbows with the "Google people." I'd like to see a Google conference geared towards media, SEO, and the press so all those types will get the hell out of I/O. That way they can still announce products, ape and/or heap scorn on Steve Jobs, and get some noise made.

I'm really disappointed that I won't be making it to I/O this year. 2009 was a blast (I missed 2010 out of laziness). Thought all I had to do was register within the first hour and I'd be fine.

Honestly, I blame Oprah for this.

You'd think they'd increase the capacity given the interest.

And so would everyone else with access to his kind of resources. Should he have done the fair thing and died?

I suppose there are some out there that would like to know an individual user's karma as a quick indicator of worthiness for X. Aside from this I'd be thrilled to see the number games and measuring sticks go away.

Don't try to beat the market. Don't try to beat the market. Don't try to beat the market.

Seems like overkill.

Edit: My point being that advocating on behalf of mom and dad when it comes to technology shouldn't be frowned upon if it really does make their lives easier and better.

I've never had a problem getting a cab to take me where I want to go in the cities I've lived in nor the ones I've visited. The only downside I can see is if you're requesting somewhere that's remote and that would be difficult for the cab to find another fare on the return trip. NYC does not strike me as a place that would have this problem.

http://collison.ie/blog/2008/11/dynamic-defaultpng-files-on-...

The article is from 2008 and the SDK may have since disallowed this behavior. I've not tried it myself.

Doubtful. If they're going to lay people off they'll just stagger the "changes" by a few months.