On Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 8:22 PM, Mario Limonciello <supe...@ubuntu.com>wrote: >What's the first >thing you do when you boot your computer from the factory? You run >oem-config...
I don't know about other companies' practices, but no customer of IYCC has to run oem-config. We have already run oem-config-prepare before we ship the machine. Normal customers should simply turn on the computer, wait for the Xserver/GTK dialog to start, fill out the form, and then log in. Even on reinstallation, the customer should NOT be running oem-config unless the customer wants to join the ranks of the Linux Army. Oem-config is a tool for the OEM. Before the machine ever leaves the factory, oem-config-prepare should have already been run so that the machine is in a working state, ready for the customer to get to work. When the customer turns on the machine the first time, the system runs through its start-up scripts, one of the last of which is starting the Xserver. Because it is the first time the customer has turned on the machine, instead of running the gdm-chooser immediately, a GTK application runs that asks for a few pieces of information, the user is created behind the scenes, and finally the gdm-chooser (or other login screen) loads. If the machine is unable to complete the boot process enough to load the Xserver, the customer has a defectively or incompletely configured computer and should either call the OEM for support or return the system for a cheerful refund or exchange. The GTK application won't run without an Xserver running. The application assumes (rightly) that the system is configured well enough from the factory that the process is capable of completing all the steps necessary, all the way through to Xserver startup. (Although it is technically possible to run natively in graphics mode from the time the kernel is loaded, for reasons of reliability and maximum compatibility, that's not the current state of the art.) Recovery discs should not require a customer to go through oem-config, even on reinstalltion. The Right Way to support the customer is to send a factory-customized disc that contains a more traditional desktop installation script and some additional recovery tools. The factory already knows how the system is to be configured, so it should have already set up the preseed file with all the configuration options already set and included all the necessary packages. The customer should not have to think, and the install should "just work." Pre-configuring the system is what customers pay OEMs to do. The oem-config script is an aid to OEMs when engineering a custom system. If the system needs a re-installation, the customer should be guided through a very clean desktop installation process that doesn't require anything more than filling in customer-specific information. Back to the original issue of this bug report, I share your frustration with defectively designed or built monitors and other peripherals. I do believe that oem-config-firstboot should fail more gracefully and provide more helpful information. Having banged my head against a wall way too many times, however, I am steadfast in my conviction that oem-config failing over to "bulletproofX" would just be pouring water on a drowning man. Again, if there are OEMs that need or want additional assistance with engineering and installing systems, IYCC has a great deal of expertise in this area, much of which we give away for free. We welcome your call. Happy Trails, Loye Young Isaac & Young Computer Company Laredo, Texas http://start.iycc.net -- OEM config should have bulletproof X support https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/315647 You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs