Re: ISO download difficult (was: Debian Stretch new user report (vs Linux Mint))
Hi,
On Fri, Dec 01, 2017 at 02:39:12PM +0100, W. Martin Borgert wrote:
> Every time I need a Debian ISO, it takes me minutes to find it.
> I didn't even know, that there were an ISO with non-free firmware.
>
> There should be a beautiful ISO download page, e.g.
> https://www.debian.org/download[s]/
> with all architectures and supported releases, similar to
> https://www.ubuntu.com/download
> or
> https://linuxmint.com/download.php
I wasn't really aware of the distinction and just noticed that I so far
got by with the free ISOs. But I also found that most newbies who are
being hooked on Mint or Ubuntu, are very unlikely to change to Debian,
but instead tend to blame any problems on Linux as a whole.
Arguing about freeness is probably not helpful for these people because
they will most likely simply not understand the point, and what makes
free hardware so much better. Therefore, in my opinion, using a more
end user oriented language is advised.
I would therefore like to suggest some change to the first page
(get.debian.org) along these lines. Despite the wording, though, it can
be viewed to massively encourage users to use non-free hardware, because
it makes it much easier accessible:
Debian CDs
==========
Standard Images/Free Software Images
------------------------------------
If you want to install a VM or have fairly free/simple/old hardware
(better wording required, preferably with a link enumerating compatible
hardware), you are encouraged to use these images: Link to our free
ISOs.
Special Hardware/Non-Free Software Images
-----------------------------------------
We do not advocate using non-free hardware, but would still like to
enable you to use Debian.
If your hardware includes any of these components: (link to a page with
hardware requiring non-free firmware), you may need to use these images
(link to the ISOs including non-free software), but we encourage you to
look at (link to Free Software statements/explanations) and maybe look
into suggested hardware choices (link to a page suggesting free
hardware over similar non-free hardware).
Cheers,
--Toni++
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