Hi. I've been entertaining this idea for quite some time and would like to receive some POSITIVE or CONSTRUCTIVE feedback. By positive and constructive I mean comments and ideas that are truly relevant and helpful, though not necessarily expressed in the form of encouragement, and criticism should be based on very clear argumentation, not mere naysaying.

I have three ideas for open source software, but I want to be paid to make them happen. I know there is a lot of free as in beer software out there, and I actually use a lot of it, but I have bills to pay and I can't afford to donate my time. So if I don't get money, I won't do it. I have a day job which pays my bills, but I hate it, I just keep it because I need it. If I could write software for free, I would be a lot happier. Without further ado, here are the three ideas:


IDEA #1) FILE MANAGER

The best idea in my opinion. Sure, there are plenty of file managers out there, but do you really like them, or do you just put up with them because they're free as in beer and kind of do the job? I, for one, am not happy at all with the current offerings. To wit:

- KDE had Konqueror, which has been discontinued. I liked it, except for the fact that it required KDE, which is huge, bloated, slow etc. Now there is Dolphin, but it not only requires KDE, I think it is worse then Konqueror. There should be a file manager that doesn't require a huge bloated desktop environment.

- Thunar: I think it requires XFCE or something like that, so it is basically the same problem as KDE.

- PCmanFM: it's what I use. It is buggy, it crashes, it has many shortcomings. It kind of does the job, but I don't even come close to liking it.

- SpaceFM: it's better than PCmanFM at one thing or another, but not quite good either. Mostly, it's clumsy, and has too many dependencies.

Enough with comparisons, I could go on forever, you get the idea. Here is what I propose:

* More features than all of the above combined, including backup, syncing, favorite folders or files or operations, some basic and very easy macro/scripting, many choices of layout, right-click options, new ways to interact etc.

* I am a die-hard keyboard user and will provide customizable keyboard shortcuts for EVERYTHING imaginable. The idea is to make it more or less like Vim or mutt, where things are accomplished with very few touches on the keyboard.

* Feature requests will always be welcome. None of that crappy you-don't-need-it mentality that has plagued the software industry over the past 10 years (may Steve Jobs rot in hell). If you want it, you want it because you like it better that way, so you get it. Lots, lots, lots of options, keeping it simple is just a lame excuse for being lazy.

* No dependencies. Well, there will be some very basic dependencies, but any Linux distro with a graphical environment will fulfill them. GTK will be required for an ADDITIONAL version that will look better, but that's all. That means no KDE, no Gnome, no Python, no Perl, no dozens of random libraries. It will be made specifically for people who like to maintain a very light Linux/Unix installation, but of course anyone will be able to use it.

* Lots of potential to be compatible with smartphones and tablets in the future. Of course, the GUI would have to undergo changes to suit the much smaller screens, but I don't have any problem with that. I have run many successful tests on the Nokia N900. Okay, that is pretty much a Linux OS phone, but I know it can run on other platforms, like Android.

* Open source, of course.

* I prefer the BSD license, but may choose GPL depending on feedback and other developments that may occur in the fund sourcing stage.



IDEA #2) TEXT EDITOR.

Yeah, Vim users laugh all you want, I use Vim myself, but admit that a lot of people hate it, and I don't mean Emacs users. Vim's paradigm is downright hostile to most people. What I propose instead:

* The regular text editor interface that everybody knows.

* Lots and lots and lots of features, including macros/scripting.

* It should be pretty much like those feature-rich editors that Windows users have had for more than 15 years.

* Unprecedented persistence: no need to save a buffer ever; you may close the application, reboot or unplug the computer from the mains, and the next time you launch the editor, all the buffers will be there, just the way you left them.

* No dependencies.

* Potential to be compatible with smartphones and tablets in the future.

* Open source, BSD or GPL.



IDEA #3) EMAIL CLIENT.

I'm not really crazy about this idea, because it would be the most time consuming, but I'm willing to take on this challenge. I also see many people complain that there aren't good email clients for Linux/Unix. Please, don't play dumb; if you like Mutt or Pine, this is clearly not for you, and you know it. Don't come here and troll my topic.

I use a mix of Mutt with Claws, but I am not really happy with either one. Mutt has limitations, and Claws is clumsy and buggy. I see people complain about Thunderbird, and I understand them. I never used it for more than a couple of weeks. What I offer instead:

* Lots and lots and lots of features.

* More choices of layout, including some I've conceived and never seen anywhere.

* Ability to do everything with the keyboard.

* If the aforementioned text editor is done before the email client, it will be integrated into the composer, with every single feature.

* HTML rendering and composing. Why not? I hate it, but whether to use it or not is up to you...

* Almost no dependencies (I will need dependencies to handle encryption, security, etc.)

* Potential to be compatible with smartphones and tablets in the future.

* Open source, BSD or GPL.



These are my plans, which I intend to submit on Indiegogo. I hope to receive serious, helpful comments or questions. Most of all, I would like to know which one of these three sounds more desirable. I can only work on one at a time, although some of the code will intersect.

Tip: your Indiegogo submissions should include designs of the user interfaces, at least at the wireframe level. None of the three pitches are specific enough for me to evaluate (seriously: "loads and loads of features?"), but that will change if I can see visually what you have planned.

I will also want to know which technology stack (e.g. widget toolkit and scripting language) you'll be using, and not, as you've actually told us, which technology stack you're not using. Providing this information will tell me a lot about your ability, focus and direction... as would declining to provide it.

Well, it's live. For whatever it's worth.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ve...d-text-editor/

I agree.


...additionally tangible evidence of (sustained!) prior work (not some screen shot or textual descriptions) could help in the evaluation.