Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 11:08:00 -0500 From: Mikel King <mikel@ocsinternet.com> To: Josh Paetzel <jpaetzel@hutchtel.net> Cc: Seth <seth@psychotic.aberrant.org>, Kent Stewart <kstewart@urx.com>, mij@osdn.com, freebsd-doc@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Web page suggestion Message-ID: <3A8AAD60.A48580CF@ocsinternet.com> References: <20010213104922.A70178@psychotic.aberrant.org> <20010213125007.B375@guinness.osdn.com> <3A898E22.39A43C02@urx.com> <20010213145515.B1203@guinness.osdn.com> <3A89AB42.B5F0E207@urx.com> <20010213171035.B70575@psychotic.aberrant.org> <00a201c09628$74fd7600$6100000a@vladsempire.net>
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Ok I've had about as much as I can stand on this. If Seth wants to make it easier by throwing together a quick html page; then so be it. I mean honetsly I doubt very seriously most of us who currently use any alternative OS actually sat down and read the manual even one time let alone a couple of times prior to attempting to install it (if I did my VCR wouldn't be flashing 12:00 all the time). Why don't we make everyone fill out a really long form and submitt a DNA sample prior to allowing them to have access to the system. Really this sounds like a nice idea. I happen to have the pleasure of wirking with some very competent engineers and I can honestly attest that they've been put by this proceedure. Let's face it we live in an instant gratification based society; yes it's sad I know but it's definately true. Seriously what can it hurt to see what this guy is offering? Hell he's doing all the work... Ok I've had my $0.01 cheers, mikel PS: Seth if you want a place to toss this thing up email me... Josh Paetzel wrote: > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Seth" <seth@psychotic.aberrant.org> > To: "Kent Stewart" <kstewart@urx.com> > Cc: <mij@osdn.com>; <freebsd-doc@FreeBSD.ORG> > Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2001 4:10 PM > Subject: Re: Web page suggestion > > > What I see happening is this: people come to the website, but find > there's > > no one link that tells them what to get and how to get it. There > are plenty > > of places that explain both of these things, but they're in > different parts > > of the site. What I'm proposing is to bring them together, so that > an > > impatient prospective user can see, at a glance, what the latest > version is > > (IMHO, this should be on the main page as well), find out where to > purchase > > a copy, download the tools necessary to install over a network or > burn > > an install ISO, and find the necessary documentation to guide > him/her > > through the process. Again, all of this is available today -- but > it > > requires wading through the site to find it, and some time on the > user's > > part to find all of it. Whether or not we want users who won't take > > the time to hunt for the information notwithstanding, we should make > > it as simple as possible to find all the information on "what, > where, > > and how". > > > > Don't change the site or its contents; just consolidate some of the > links > > on another page that's highlighted from the main page. Give me a > few days > > to come up with an example, but I'll beg your forgiveness in advance > for > > my bad HTML. > > > > Seth. > > > > > > <rant> > > I don't think that we need to encourage users that don't want to > "wade" through the three links on the website to get to the > installation instructions. I think someone who is going to have a > good experience with FBSD is someone who will read the entire handbook > a couple of times before trying an install. Someone who wants to be > able to figure things out for themselves. FreeBSD has a steep > learning curve, and we might as well let people know that right away. > I installed FreeBSD in 1996, and I didn't have a clue about unix. I > didn't know anything. It took me almost a year to be able to do > anything with it at all. I don't think that it is fair to people to > give them the impression that FreeBSD is super user friendly. (By > that I mean, you don't need to know anything to use it. Just point > and click, baby.) There is windows and various linux distros for > that. > > Josh > > </rant> > > > History truncated a bit.... > > On Tue, Feb 13, 2001 at 01:46:42PM -0800, Kent Stewart wrote: > > > > > > > > > Jim Mock wrote: > > > > > > > > On Tue, 13 Feb 2001 at 11:42:26 -0800, Kent Stewart wrote: > > > > > Jim Mock wrote: > > > > > > to click the very easily labeled links, they're surely not > going to > > > > > > bother reading any of the install docs and will have an > installation > > > > > > experience similar to trying to ram their head through a > brick wall. > > > > > > > > > > Part of the problem is that when they get to the "Handbook > Chapter on > > > > > Obtaining FreeBSD", they are presented with Appendix A. To a > newbie, > > > > > Appendix A is a series of TLA's that are completely giberish > until > > > > > they have been using FreeBSD for a while. There isn't a > chapter on > > > > > obtaining FreeBSD and there also aren't any instructions. > Using FTP to > > > > > download an iso or the bin files would be a section by itself. > The > > > > > closest I have seen is Dan's web page at > > > > > http://www.freebsddiary.org/read.html. I don't think a newbie > can use > > > > > CVS or CTM to install FreeBSD. So, you have a series of > choices that > > > > > don't make any sense and more than half of them don't apply. > > > > > > > > I think you're talking about a whole different situation here. > I'm > > > > talking about if you go to http://www.FreeBSD.org/ and look > under the > > > > "Easy to install" header, you'll see a link that says "these > > > > directions". That takes you to the install chapter of the > handbook, > > > > which then takes you to the floppy download and creation. > > > > > > > > I'm guessing you're talking about the "Getting FreeBSD" link > under > > > > "Software" on the bar on the left side of the site. This should > also > > > > point to the handbook's install chapter which explains getting > the > > > > floppies. If no one disagrees, I'll change it to do so. > > > > > > Yes, that is the link I was talking about and the one I think > people > > > are getting lost on. > > > > > > Kent > > > > > > > > > > > - jim > > > > > > > > -- > > > > jim mock <mij@osdn.com> O|S|D|N open source development > network > > > > http://soupnazi.org/ http://osdn.com/ | > jim@FreeBSD.org > > > > > > -- > > > Kent Stewart > > > Richland, WA > > > > > > mailto:kbstew99@hotmail.com > > > http://kstewart.urx.com/kstewart/index.html > > > FreeBSD News http://daily.daemonnews.org/ > > > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > > with "unsubscribe freebsd-doc" in the body of the message > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-doc" in the body of the message To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-doc" in the body of the message
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