https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=482674 Summary: Document Manual - 'Everything you need to get started with Linux' has horrendous omissions and the contents in no way reflects its title Classification: openSUSE Product: openSUSE 11.0 Version: Final Platform: x86 OS/Version: Other Status: NEW Severity: Major Priority: P5 - None Component: Documentation AssignedTo: ke@novell.com ReportedBy: alpha096@virginbroadband.com.au QAContact: ke@novell.com Found By: --- User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-GB; rv:1.9.0.6) Gecko/2009012700 SUSE/3.0.6-0.1 Firefox/3.0.6 In the Start-up document guide that comes with the commercial purchase of opensuse the lest most discussed element are the most important. O.K. Consider we are all NEW TO Linux and we pick up the start-up manual and we get to page 16 and STOP with horror and more questions arise right now that are not ever dealt with in the beginning, middle, end, preface, forward, addendum's, further readings, Index, Glossary or Intentionally left blank pages. The biggest decision a new user is faced with occupies Page 16 Only with no further footnotes or reference points what-so-ever. Now with V11.0 we have yet another desktop to talk about - we have a plasma desktop. So in the space of half of page 16 the user has to make the biggest decision they will ever come across with NO assistance or explanation. If our opposition looks like Windozs, smells link Windoze, or uses the word 'Window' the user knows what they are getting as Windows. The Desktop is the Desktop is the Desktop. With no other explanation the user now has to decide on what type of desktop they want? Remember a Desktop is a Desktop is a Desktop in Windoze. In Linux, we can do anything mainly because our O/S was designed to do multiple anything at the same time from the word go. Even its predecessors Zenix and Unix could all do anything at the same time right from the beginning. We dont need to explain how we have translated being able to anything at the same time into the ways we present our Desktops and its associated application? software. The following URL has some really great graphics that are worthy of asking the owner can we re-produce some of them - This is important as it explains that from the beginning Linux could always do anything all at the same time, but when we moved Linux to a commercial I386 CPU our anything became the way we present our desktop and the reason how and why we can provide so many different desktops. I think we need to start the users Start-up guide with a Preface with a few diagrams of where we have come from and what we could do when we moved Linux to an I386 Architecture CPU. Because we can do anything all at the same time we can provide, amongst other things, different ways to look at our product - we we can longer underestimate the power of eye Kandy. A small, concise 'Forward' section at the beginning of our start up Manual that shows that we can 1. Do anything all at the same time 2. Look like anything including any number of Windows at the same time. 3. Now we have moved Zenix, Unix, Linux to a I386PC...etc we can offer every new users what type of look they want to interface with. 4. Provide a number of themed Desktops each with 5. Tell them about the number of themed Desktops and that we have cleverly provided each with the best selection of associated software programs to go with the look they choose. 6. Tell them about the KDE Look 7. Tell them about the Gnome Look 8. Tell them about the Plasma Look 9. Tell them about XFCE Look 10.Tell them about QT Looks and where to get them from 11.Tell them about Compiz and how to get this look from 12.Finish with Lets get started and cross reference the "System Type" Page in the start-up guide. If I mention to an ordinary Windoze user that I use Suse Linux all they want to know is what it looks like, how quick it is, and if they can keep their data files from M.S. and how much does it cost, THEN What Spy ware detector to use with Linux????, what Anti-virus Protector to run???? Which is the best firewall product to get for Linux?????, how do I fix Registry Programs in Linux????, what office software package to get???, What Spam detector to get for Linux??? etc etc etc - and when I reply You don't need ever worry about most of the above and to keep paying yearly subscriptions, I tell them they not only get the look but also access to several thousand different software programs that comes on the 1 DVD - but dont just install all 2,000 of them - Just tell installation what your needs are. Oh! And by the way, do you have an new AMD Processor, if the Answer is yes I tell them they need to possibly get the 64 bit version of the above. Whats the difference, well its like having a V8 Motor car but you are only using 4 cylinders if you are not running a 64bit version of Windoze or Linux, cant afford the 64 bit of Windoze - don't worry the 32-but will work but only run on half the cylinders - you would be so much better off with Suse Linux 65-bit version. E @ O.E Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1.N/A 2. 3. Actual Results: confusion to the ultimate max - some users who have been useing suse Linux for years have no idea about XFCE...etc. Expected Results: The user gets a chance to see what they are about to commit to install and understand why everything is so much faster and with no limit to your imagination on how your own desktop will look after you have selected the basic one first and then get to change it even more. I know we have far less man power, but here is some good work for our great documenters and I would like to think we could achieve something like this on release of 11.2 I consider it a Major feature is broken in the scene that we never explain any where near the massively 1 off chance to answer the Desktop question right the first time and not be disappointed. As it stands the new users start-up guide does not even show a default plasma desktop or Gnome Desktop Graphic. Yes in reality you will probably change to Enhancement -;) -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.