Re: [gentoo-nfp] Re: How to improve the trustees

[Roy Bamford]

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On 2008.02.03 19:41, Matthew Summers wrote:
> Roy Bamford wrote:
> > On 2008.02.03 16:49, Matthew Summers wrote:
> >> Roy Bamford wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Many new users come to gentoo as their first Linux. Many of
> >>> them are poorly informed about both Linux and Gentoo - I don't
> >>> know how to reach this group *before* they start asking for
> >>> help in #gentoo and on the forums. Thats the sort problem we
> >>> have to solve.
> >>>
> >>>
> >> Roy,
> >
> >> Towards a solution to this particular issue above, I suggest
> >> Gentoo provides a documentation project (possibly) entitled
> >> "Learning Linux with Gentoo".  Within this we could easily
> >> address many issues faced by new Linux/Gentoo users.  It would
> >> seem, as well, to be a good service to the Gentoo and larger
> >> Linux communities, as many users of other distros get information
> >> from our documentation pages as well as our forums.  This could
> >> potentially increase Gentoo's exposure as well as our user base
> >> by "de-mystifying" Gentoo and basically easing new users into our
> >> way of operating, while also providing a great resource for all
> >> Linux/Gentoo users.   I do want to state that this is not in any
> >> way intended to disparage the efforts of the Gentoo Documentation
> >>  Project in any way. I think our docs are fantastic in many ways.
> >> I am simply suggesting some various extensions to that
> >> documentation base as well as some updates.
> >
> >> This would also fit into my earlier proposition regarding the use
> >> of university technical writing interns for said documentation
> >> projects as posted to this list and syndicated as a guest post on
> >> Joshua Jackson's (tsunam) blog.
> >
> >> As always, I offer my assistance/support in the aforementioned
> >> endeavor.
> >
> >> Best Regards,
> >
> >> Matthew W. Summers (quantumsummers)
> >
> >
> >
> > Matthew,
> >
> > I think this is a good idea. However, one of the issues is that a
> > body of new users is not even aware of the existance of the current
> >  documentation.
> >
> > e.g. How to head off questions like "I've just started the minimal
> > CD to install Gentoo but all I get is a black screen with some text
> > at the bottom. Where do I click to install Gentoo?"
> >
> > I'm not 100% sure it wasn't a troll but as this represents a class
> > of problems seen on the forums, I'm sure that some are genuine.
> >
> >
>
> Perhaps one easy way to present the necessary information to the
> users
> that are "not even aware of the existance of the current
> documentation" would be to extend the current message that is
> displayed upon booting to the minimal livecd by loading an ncurses
> based window that presents the current message and also presents the
> user 3 radio buttons.  The buttons represent three options.
>
> Option 1- I'm New to Linux
>     (Open lynx (or similar) to the hypothetical page "Learning Linux
> with Gentoo: I Just Booted the Minimal LiveCD, Now What?")
>         1st Lesson: Use of CTRL + F1-F6 to switch terminals, etc.
> Option 2 -  I'm New to Gentoo
>     (Open lynx (or similar) to the "Gentoo Handbook")
> Option 3 - Continue to CLI
>     (Set at timeout for this ncurses screen of, say, 15 seconds
> before
> proceeding as usual, also allow the user to pass a switch to grub at
> boot to bypass the ncurses)
>
> This is a rather brief description, and could easily be refined.  It
> is meant only to convey the general idea, that is, we can modify the
> usual minimal livecd experience to reflect both the desires of many
> veteran users to have a rapid & often remote boot, while serving the
> new, perhaps less knowledgeable, users as well.
>
> Let me know what you think.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Matthew W. Summers
>
>
I like the sound of that. The CDs have a readme file which the user has 
to find that contains links to the handbook.

A more "in your face" approach may be good.
The 2008.0 feature request deadline has just passed. 
Maybe for 2008.1 


- -- 
Regards,

Roy Bamford
(NeddySeagoon) a member of
gentoo-ops
forum-mods
treecleaners

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