Open-source software has made tremendous progress in recent years, offering a wide range of features and functionalities that rival their proprietary counterparts. However, despite its many benefits, open-source apps often struggle with one major drawback: aesthetics.
The issue lies in the way these projects are developed and maintained. Many open-source apps are worked on by large teams of developers over extended periods, which can lead to a lack of cohesive vision and direction. In contrast, proprietary apps are often developed within a business environment where design and user experience are prioritized from the start.
In open-source projects, direction is often set by a single maintainer or team of maintainers who focus on preserving backwards compatibility, security, and stability over designing a sleek UI. This can lead to disagreements between the community and maintainers about the project’s direction, resulting in forks and separate versions of the code.
Another challenge facing open-source projects is refactoring large codebases. With millions of lines of code, it’s an incredibly difficult task that often requires significant resources and time. As a result, many open-source apps remain stuck with outdated graphics libraries or UI elements.
While not all open-source apps are ugly, established feature-complete ones tend to be less visually appealing than their proprietary alternatives. However, modern UI frameworks like Electron have helped create a new wave of great-looking open-source apps that often lack the rich features of more established projects.
Ultimately, open-source software prioritizes features and compatibility over aesthetics. Community-led projects start small, focusing on solving existing problems, and grow gradually over time. With limited resources, developers allocate their time to adding new features or fixing bugs rather than redesigning UI elements. This pragmatic approach ensures that the project meets its users’ needs but often comes at the cost of a polished and visually appealing interface.
Source: https://www.xda-developers.com/why-are-open-source-apps-ugly