Re: newbies needing help for graphic login
On Sat, 7 Jan 2006 12:40:08 +0000
Richard Lyons <richard@the-place.net> wrote:
<<snip >>
>
> Now, considering that success is not really unlikely with the new
> installer, but that it is oddly easy for a newbie (or even an
> experienced user) to fail to select the 'desktop' option and to install
> a perfectly good but X-free system, and seeing that this evidently is
> happening to a lot of newcomers to Debian, I was suggesting what I
> thought was a simple device to offer friendly help to those that fell
> into this trap and had no idea how to get out. Any regular on this list
> will have no problem with the command line at the end of the install --
> we each have our favoured route forward, and know where to look for
> information on what we have and have not installed. But an ex-doze or
> even an ex-suze user can be completely at a loss when faced with
> 'myname@thisbox:~$ ' and nothing more.
is that where we started? ;)
>
> Hence my suggestion that a special first-time message for the command
> line could be used to soften the blow. I do also agree with other
> suggestions for making this more unlikely, such as marking 'desktop' for
> installation by default, and offering a page of explanation and a choice
> of desktops. (BTW, I used to think that Gnome was quite hostile and a
> really bad default, but the latest versions are far better IMHO, and not
> such an auful default as it used to be. Not that I would ever choose to
> use either of the obese twins for my own box any more.)
this makes sense really. An in-experienced linux user coming into debian as their first foray into linux would greatly benefit from something like this. An experienced linux user already know's what WM and *dm and apps they want (if any) and could easily manuever through this process.
>
> As to the cases where the X-server cannot be correctly configured by a
> newbie, it is difficult to see how the installer can offer more help.
> It can hardly be expected to recognise the X-server error messages and
> give a message saying "If you are new to this, get a Knoppix disc and
> see if it solves your problem."
see my other note on this: why isn't (and I know NOTHING about the installer so bear with me) knoppix type detection done by the installer? There should be NOTHING that knoppix does that Debian can't do at install time, excepting kernel modules that are to far up the chain still. IOW, the installer should do a knoppix style detection and then test itself: "Dear user, the installer has detected a reasonable setup for your GUI. We will now switch to that GUI and if it works, you will be prompted to continue the installation. If it doesn't work, the installer will revert to this interface after XX seconds and will walk you through a reconfigure fo the X window system."
>
> Or perhaps it could...
>
> --
> richard
>
>
> --
> To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST@lists.debian.org
> with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org
>
Reply to: