Here is the result of my trying to get my dad to install Ubuntu...
Page Contents
About the machine
- Home grown Duron-800 based system
- 3dfx Voodoo AGP graphics card
- Samsung Syncmaster 151s
- Two HDDs, Win2k on hda, ubuntu to go on hdb
- ps/2 kb and mouse
About the installer
- Male
- Vaguely technical
- Competent Windows user
- 76 years old
Other users
- Female
- Fairly 'anti-computer'
- <mumble> years old
Notes on the installer
- "Choose a language" screen should say something like "Press Enter" -- it took a while for Dad to realise he shouldn't be pressing space-bar
- "Select a keyboard layout" screen has a truncated title
- How the bloody hell do I choose 'Go back' then?
- My disc is brand new; it's not going to erase anything -- in response to the offer to 'erase entire disc'
Partitioner notes
- On large discs; the partitioner really should create a /boot partition in autopartition mode. esp. on x86 and probably on pmac
- If you create a /boot and then autopartition the rest; the partitioner loses the knowledge about /boot
Back to the installer
- I don't like sitting on a blank screen for ages -- Can we have a 'please wait...' in the bottom-right between debconf screens?
- Time remaining would be nice -- Even if it's a wild estimate; users love to see something counting down
- In general could do with more on-screen help. I appreciate that there's little room in text mode; hopefully the graphical installer will have more room to do this
During the desktop install phase...
- Hrm, you sit here and wait for a very long time. But I suppose you do end up with a fully installed system
- On the 'registering documentation' bit; instead of saying "please wait" try saying "This may take a long time" -- This allows the user to decide to go have a cuppa :-)
Other notes
- Usenet news is a commonly liked thing. Evolution's news reader sucks arse. Should we put pan into supported?
- Laserjet 1100 on parallel failed after obvious setup. Restarting CUPS later seemed to fix it
- The tooltip on the discs item in the menu is vile
- hdparm -- gui? autoconfigurator?
- Xscreensaver's manual is online -- this sucks
- Can we use xdpyinfo to autoconfigure dpi in gnome?
- Terminal output sounds terrible doesn't it? Makes it sound like synaptic is dying -- in reference to synaptics install window.
- Why is it 'Synaptic Package Manager' instead of something like 'Add/Remove Software'? -- You know what
- As someone who has never seen it before; how does one discover that then? -- accidental discovery of X copy/paste functionality
- Why doesn't it offer me alternatives when I right-click on a misspelt word? -- re evolution's spell-checking
- I can't work out how to get an explorer window up -- I.E. a
{nautilus --browser} window :-)
Overall; Dad seemed impressed and happy. He's noting his comments on the NormansGripes page on this wiki.
