Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2003 14:34:36 -0500 From: Larry Sica <lomion@mac.com> To: "Jeremy C. Reed" <reed@reedmedia.net> Cc: Narvi <narvi@haldjas.folklore.ee>, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: BSD desktop (was: GGI (was: Project Status)) Message-ID: <064CB153-3A0A-11D7-B89B-000393A335A2@mac.com> In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.43.0302060943430.8779-100000@pilchuck.reedmedia.net>
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On Thursday, February 6, 2003, at 12:59 PM, Jeremy C. Reed wrote:
<snipping some>
> On Thu, 6 Feb 2003, Narvi wrote:
> g list archives; a few others have started projects,
> websites, and discussions for doing this for a few years. (Search for
> homebsd and zebsd, for example.)
>
>> * *DECIDE* (and later keep to the decision) as to what exactly
>> your target audience is
>
> My wife. My mom. My sister-in-law. :)
>
> (My wife already uses X, blackbox, vnc, and sylpheed. My mom's been
> using
> open source Unix for several years for everything. And my in-laws have
> been unknowingly and entirely using NetBSD for a year.)
>
>> * and then you just deal with the needed decisions that come
>> from
>> the first two parts to end up with a desktop package
>
> The software is already available. The packages/ports are done.
>
What is needed is a good interface to it, both aesthetically, and
technically as well as a stable method.
>> But really its a huge amount of work and includes many quite quirky
>> decisions even when starting for a well-known base like GNOME/KDE
>> (alphabetical ordering).
>
> It is not a lot of work (unless done by one person). I think it only
> needs
> a few things:
>
> 1) Nice-looking GUI installer. But it can be very simple: don't give
> the
> user very many choices. (If they want choices, let it fall back to
> sysinstall.) For example, no fdisk slicing or disklabeling. Just tell
> the user that it will be installed on entire disk. Or tell the user
> that
> certain partitions are available and ask which to use.
>
> Don't ask the user (during install) to choose software. Just install!
>
Yes I agree here, the base os shouldn't need 100000 options on install.
Ideally it should just install everything for you, setting up disks
and only asking for your personal information.
> Do ask the user for username, password and for a password for doing
> "administration tasks". ("Some computer tasks will require an
> additional
> administrator password. Please enter ...")
>
One could take a nod from apple here. It only asks for a password if
you tell it you want to be asked for login, and will then ask for
administrative tasks. It presents setting this up in a very friendly
way as well.
> 2) Make sure all menus are clearly preset.
>
> The software to install should be decided, but not too many options.
> Then make sure it works correctly, such as double-clicking on a mpeg
> should play it.
>
Install the basics, if someone really wants more they can install it
later.
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