Re: A small Debian-NP detail
Hi Holmes,
Your site and project looks great. For my part I would be interested in
hearing about your sucesses and obstacles etc using LTSP/Debian in the
lab. Are you planning on putting any info on the site about that? Also
are you developing/using any curricullem for the labs that you can share?
John
npotechs.org
Holmes Wilson wrote:
Hi,
I just joined the list. My name's Holmes Wilson and I'm involved with
running a program that uses donated computers and linux to set up labs
in my town of Worcester, Massachusetts: worcestercoop.org. It's similar
to Freegeek, but a lot smaller, and still just getting going. A big
part of my interest in the project has to do with turning nonprofits on
to the benefits of free software, so I'm really into the idea of Debian
NP, and I think making a live CD was a very good call.
Anyway, I just tried out the Debian-NP live CD, and I have a couple
small points that I think could make the next version better suited for
its purpose:
The first was that I really think the default background art should be
replaced with something more conservative. Not because I don't like the
graphic, or because I personally think people should have boring Desktop
backgrounds--I hate Windows98 green just as much as the next guy. But
speaking as someone who's really tried to pitch Linux to skeptical,
non-tech-savvy people who run community groups, it's always seemed like
the number one challenge is convincing them that linux is not some weird
wacky thing that will make their computers even more inscrutable. To
that end, I think Debian-NP would be a more effective demonstration if
the computer looked a little less weird. A solid, darkish color or a
nice gradient would be a lot better, I think. If it were subtly
branded with something like "Debian-NP: Linux for nonprofits", then so
much the better. But I think the beaker filled with magenta liquid is a
bit too trippy for people who are already nervous about changing
computers (and may already be leaning towards thinking I'm some hippy
idealist :)
The second issue was with the menu in the panel. Having a separate menu
for Debian apps is confusing and strange. Things are set up that way
too at an LTSP lab we run, and I've seen it confuse people. Most people
aren't going to know what Debian is, and to beginners (nearly everyone,
when it comes to Linux) it's bad to introduce unnecessary arbitrary
terms for things, because it confuses people. Some of those programs
shouldn't be in the panel menu at all, and other very useful ones are
buried under several layers because they're in the "Debian menu". If we
could put all the programs considered useful in a single panel menu that
would be a lot less confusing for first-time users.
Thanks everybody, for putting together such a nice tool, and I'm looking
forward to being part of this discussion.
Holmes
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