Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2000 07:31:19 -0600 From: Bob Martin <bob@buckhorn.net> To: freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: About introducing newbies to FreeBSD Message-ID: <3A016CA7.1F9560EF@buckhorn.net> References: <XFMail.001102130926.mj@isy.liu.se>
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Micke Josefsson wrote:
>
> Well, what about a new alternative to selecting Standard, Express or Custom
> installation then? A 'Newbie' selection where one does not have to answer all the
> incomprehensible stuff about 'Do you want this to be a leaf node' (what the h**k
> is a leaf node anyway, the newbie surely will ask) and whether this machine is an
> NFS server or not. Many of these questions are merely confusing and have
> reasonable defaults (yes it is a leaf node, no it is not an NFS server, no I
> dont want anonymous connections etc). If you are not happy with these defaults
> then run sysinstall again after the machine has succesfully booted.
First, I would like to clarify that I personally like sysinstall just
the way it is. But from most accounts, it's alienating to people coming
from a Windows or Linux background. I think the best solution would be a
new installer, something along the lines of SCO's UW7 installer. Failing
that, context help for each screen on a standard install would probably
go a long way. And I like your idea of a "Default" installation, where
all of the reasonable choices are made automatically.
> The first boot is a milestone I do not think one should ignore. I think there is
> a long way from hearing about FreeBSD to actually getting a CD and then another
> long stretch to dare to install it. The other partitions may go away, the menus
> clearly says so. A successful first boot is a real triumph over the silicon.
I whole heartedly agree with you on this. I think most people equate
that first sucessful load to their first big step towards becoming a
computer guru. Loading any OS for the first time is a departure from
being an "average user". Loading FBSD is a big departure.
> Let the 'Newbie install' go through the partitioning of the disk to select where
> to install FreeBSD, but force it to use Defaults for partition sizes. He/she
> wants to setup a keyboard and mouse (and timezone?) but not necessarily IP and
> anonymous ftp etc. Skip the source, but make a selection of X or not. If X is
> selected then install every Xserver at once - yes it consumes space but the
> XF86Setup will be easier, most people don't know the exact name of their
> graphics card anyway.
I agree that disklabel is a roadblock for most newbies. Again, I like
the idea of a "Default" installation.
> Sidenote: I always install the system first, then reboot and only after that I
> try to install X. The risks involved with accidentally or unknowingly selecting
> the wrong monitor frequencies or graphics card are to high. Many graphics cards
> have confusingly similar names, too. If I fail installing X when doing the first
> time install I will have to (well, likely anyway) reinstall everything. Anger,
> confusion, and generally a feeling of failure will soon appear. Am I the only
> one doing it this way?
I've been toying with the idea of reading the initial boot message and
maping the detected video card to the Xserver. That solves the Xserver
issue, but still leaves the monitor selection issue. Perhaps the
solution would be to create a "first boot" script that finishes the
setup, and handles things like the X environment.
> With this kind of easier setup I definately believe that many more people will
> manage to do a successful install. It is only then the fun starts! Of course
> many are not ready to dig deep into the root role, and why should they? For home
> use, adding packages from CD is often enough (or am I wrong here).
It's been my experience that most novice users do everything as root.
This is primarily due to the fact that you have to be root to mount
drives, change most configuration files and to install packages. This is
also probably due to the influence of the Windows95/98 world most new
users come from. In MS's world, everyone is root.
> While at it: Why not include a file with pointers to information resources?
> freebsd-questions mailinglist, comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc, daemonnews.org,
> bsdtoday.com for example.
A shell script that more's /usr/share/doc/resources? I really like that
idea.
> Another of my 2 öre.
>
> /Micke
>
>
> ----------------------------------
> Michael Josefsson, MSEE
> mj@isy.liu.se
>
> This message was sent by XFMail
> running on FreeBSD 3.5-STABLE
> ----------------------------------
Bob Martin.
--
As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not
certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.
-- Albert Einstein
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