Toby If Ubuntu is to be as successful as has been mooted, the package needs to be lubriciously simple so that complete beginners with nil knowledge can take advantage of the secondhand machines which are said to abound. For instance I would advocate a starting screen, after loading, of a typewriter-only facility with the keyboard control &c keys suitably locked sofly, So the newboy can, unless he uses the one menu which gets him out of it, can only use the machine as a typewriter with save, print and new facilities. Then when he has mastered typing (or sooner) he can elect to move another stage towards open office etc etc. Many of the people coming into computing are those who have either been bypassed or actively rejected computing and are possibly candidates for open-source coupled with cheap secondhand machine, but a simple step-by-step initiation is needed. What is simple to you is impossible to most of them. I envisage a pensioner attending a charity meeting being given a machine and being told just to take it away and use it. Comparing its procedures with windows is not useful. Dumbing down ridiculously is what's needed to get ubuntu being favoured by the masses. Robin
On 1/5/07, Toby Smithe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
On Thu, 2007-01-04 at 12:29 +0000, Robin Menneer wrote: > Alan > Yes - cash book, address book &c. I didn't have a cd and had never > made one, nor had the facilities. I didn't need a cd for suse but I > do not know what Novell have done with it since they took it over. > You fall into the trap of comparing installing ubuntu with windows > instead of the real world whch does exist outside windows. Yes it > should get better if it's going to be much more widely used. I want a > package that I can click on on the web, chose the thicky (beginner's) > version and go away and leave it for half an hour, returning to find > the opening page offering help. Other more expert versions I would > possibly like to delve into later but would be happy ot go again to > the web so as to get the latest version. > Robin Hmm... I'm not quite certain what this means. I'm also unsure as to what you find sophisticated. It always all seemed perfectly clear to me. Could you elaborate some more, please? > On 1/4/07, alan c <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Robin Menneer wrote: > > > Alan > > > Cornwall. You can see some of my interests on www.cornishhedges.com . > > > (comments welcome). Yes, I agree about different needs - all one > > > needs is a simple menu offering switchable facilities by function > > > rather than by name > > > > Email, Word Processing, Internet Browse, (more?) > > > > > Protection should be inbuilt with user status. > > > > I believe this is already there. > > > > > Surely in the 21st century we do not need an install person > > > > You said you got someone else to install for you. Installs are about > > as easy as I could imagine now. Insert cd, say yes take over hard > > drive, ok, english ok, then have a few cups of tea. Knowing that > > nobody in their right mind installs windows themselves (quite > > difficult), I think ubuntu does pretty well and will probably get > > better too. > > > > > Aged > > > late-departed mother in laws should not have to be daunted by install > > > problems. I gather one Ubuntu difficulty was with the display which > > > turned out to be merely a deficit in programming. > > > > The only display problem I had in many various installs was with a > > dell laptop inspiron 1100 - this model was produced with a display and > > bios communication problem. It was easier to install linux (ubuntu > > etc) than XP even though I was using the original Dell CDs! > > -- > > alan cocks > > Kubuntu user#10391 > > > > -- > > ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com > > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk > > https://wiki.kubuntu.org/UKTeam/ > > > -- Help me get to Venezuela! http://tibsplace.co.uk/venezuela -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.kubuntu.org/UKTeam/
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