Re: Documentation on configuring Debian for desktop use?
Brynjar Harðarson wrote:
I'm not sure I agree this should be something for the end user, if I
understand what end user means that is, the person who is going to be
using the software right?
Thous people would need something like a user guide to learn how to use
the system. I was thinking more of a documentation for the people who
are installing Debian on a desktop that is eventually going to be used
by the end user. It would cover what to do once you have installed the
base system. Though it could also include a basic guide to installing
Debian to make it more accessible to new users.. but now that I think of
it there are some choices to be made while installing the base system
that can be different depending on if you are installing Debian for
desktop use or something else.
Beside the base installation process I have few ideas of what it could
cover.
- What version of Debian to use for desktop
We need to be clear on what version of Debian we are talking about, be
it stable, testing or unstable. I think testing is the ideal one since
it's stable, I'm running unstable and it'a pretty stable, so I would
think testing is even more stable. And I think I read somewhere that it
will have regular security updates after sarge has been released?
sarge is the one for desktop, right now, i think.
unstable is also usable.
- Setting up a boot splash image
This is not a crucial thing but I think we can all agree that the
desktop should look at least OK to the eye, most operating systems that
focus on desktop use have something like this, since Debian is a
"Universal Operating System" this is something that we need to document
how to do manually.
http://www.desktop-linux.net/bootsplash.htm
http://www.bootsplash.org/
bootsplash is not avaible in debian, yet.
- Installing ALSA
Getting sound to work with ALSA, there are bunch of HowTos on this but
maybe not specific for Debian, they all have in common to tell you to
compile ALSA from source instead of using binary packages, at least in
the HowTos that I have seen. Is this really the ideal way? Should we not
encourage use of pre-compiled binary packages from a official repository
whenever possible?
http://www.linuxorbit.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=541&page=1 - This is since November 1, 2002..
- Installing X and some desktop environment (GNOME/KDE/Xfce/etc..)
Again bunch of HowTos on this topic but maybe not specificly for Debian.
I think we should not encourage use of proprietary video drivers for X,
if anything then just link to an existing howto. We should support more
then just one desktop environment, the desktop environments with the
biggest user groups are GNOME and KDE, so that would be a good start I
think.
I made something that i think is missing in debian.
I created a generalist package list to install.
http://www.otiliamatos.ath.cx/~gass/debian/files/pacotes.txt
i has many packages that could be removed, i know, but it has the most
used software and it has options for everything. It does not have the
exclusivity of the gnome instalation using the gnome meta-package , or
kde's.
I also created an simple instalation bash script, who configures
sources.list, for my country (portugal).
Many people have used that script over the past months, and the time of
download (400 mb downloaded in more or less 2 hours with the avaiable
connections in portugal) is compensated by the facility of the instalation.
I also tested that with debconf with minimal or nonbe interaction, we
can have a perfect instalation, on about 70% of the cases.
with the help of discover and hotplg, everything is configured.
regards,
Luis Matos
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