Feature Request for front page of Debian website: screenshots!
Hello Debian Webmasters,
Would it be possible to prominently put a link on the Debian website's front page showing screenshots of a fresh desktop Debian install (say, with the gnome desktop, which is likely the most popular desktop choice)? This would quickly answer the obvious questions of "What does Debian 'look like' if I were to install it?" and "What is Debian anyway?"
This way, people who are unfamiliar with what Debian is can quickly understand, graphically. Could you please accommodate these people (which describes the
non-geeky vast majority of all computer users, IMHO)? A few
screenshots would save them from yawning with boredom and leaving the
otherwise all-text front page of Debian's website. Many users may be turned off by the geeky descriptions of what an OS is, what a kernel is, what packages are, etc. In fact, most of my non-geeky friends are turned off by any computer talk that gets into abstract concepts whatsoever. A picture is worth
a thousand words, they say!
Myself, whenever I'm scoping out any new software, if there is a screenshots
link, I click it VERY early on in my investigation. And if there are no screenshots, I feel a pang of disappointment, because now I have to spend time reading and "figuring out" what that software is actually useful for (described in real world use cases, like say communicating with my family), which can a tough thing to capture considering Debian's HUGE scope. In other words, the geek talk is less important to most users than the real-world uses of Debian. Screenshots will appeal to people who are turned off by geek talk.
I'd like to see screenshots of:
-a default debian desktop that you'd see right after logging in after a fresh, default install
-synaptic, showing the huge amount pf packages that are installable (the total number is displayed in Synaptic's taskbar at the bottom of the window)
-firefox, being probably the #1 app most users want to use right away
-A chat conversation via GAIM, probably being the #2 most commonly used app
-GIMP, showing some pretty pictures of penguins, Debian red swirls, etc.
-openoffice
I don't mind creating and submitting these screenshots if someone is willing to post and make a link to them. To do this, I'll just grab a pre-made Debian VM from VMware's Virtual Appliance Directory at
http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliances/directory/
Now that Debian is maturing into a convenient, easy-to-use-for-all OS
(that isn't just for the geeky anymore), I think more eye candy is
called for on the debian website, and a handful of screenshots are an
easy and obvious place to start.
Cheers,
Dustin Harriman
My Blog: http://ca.blog.360.yahoo.com/dustinharriman
RSS Feed:
http://ca.blog.360.yahoo.com/rss-RkGSoVA1brWtXrVH9Gr5CzgVujwwGg--?cq=1
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