Feature changed by: Christian Spaan (Gyges88) Feature #313289, revision 6 Title: Extended Configuration DURING actual installation process openSUSE Distribution: Unconfirmed Priority Requester: Important Requested by: Christian Spaan (gyges88) Partner organization: openSUSE.org Description: When installing openSUSE there is little to do once you've set up basic options necessary for installation like language, time zone and keyboard layout - apart from waiting and watching the slide show. While this is nice for newbies, this time could be used better by experienced users who already know what they want. So this idea is about implementing the possibility to do the manual configuration DURING the actual installation process instead of waiting for the installation to perform and doing it afterwards. Furthermore, some common options could be added that had to be set after installation at many different places otherwise. Here is an initial list of additional things to configure during installation: 1. Wallpaper 2. Theme 3. Menu Style 4. Additional time zone 5. Numlock activated/deactivated at startup 6. Install proprietary stuff: drivers, codecs, fonts 7. NTFS rw access for any user 8. Bootloader configuration (especially startup order for dual boot/multi boot setups like in Mandriva 2011) The best way I can think of to do so is to add a configuration tab next to the Release Notes Tab at the Perform Installation Page (take a look at the linked screenshot to see what I mean). http://en.opensuse.org/index.php?title=File:12.1 _install_installation.png&filetimestamp=20111018111746 Unfortunately, manual configuration is only available if the user has noticed the "Use automatic configuration" option that is a bid hidden at the System Analysis Page and dared to uncheck it. Since there is no description on what is meant by configuration, it might be a hard choice to make for many users as it raises at least three questions. First, will I be asked difficult questions that are critical to get the installation process running? Second, how much time will it take? And third, will it be worth it? That's why I would like to propose to remove the "Use automatic configuration" option from the System Analysis Page and display a message like that instead when the installation process is starting: "openSUSE can configure your system automatically. If you would like to perform a manual configuration, please click on the configuration tab." This would make it obvious that no questions would have to be answered that are critical to get the installation runnig (because installation is already running) and that it won't take a single minute of extra-time to do the configuration (since you have to wait for the installation to perform anyway). Main benefits: On one hand you save the time needed for manual configuration during the installation, on the other hand you save another nice amount of time it would take you to do some common tasks after the installation (creating additional time zone, fetching MS fonts, download proprietary codecs, enable NTFS rw access if you have NTFS partitions etc). Discussion: #1: Valentin Moon (-moon-) (2012-03-04 23:24:25) You're right. That's a good idea but, then, what about the newbies? Maybe the installer can ask : << Level of configuration wanted?>> • Newbie • Expert Because ask to a new user, maybe from Windo**, to choose between ifup or network manager can confuse them, no? And maybe some lazy users wants to let the installer do this actions. Choice is one of the advantages of Linux. We should continue in this way (the way of asking the user and have a bunch of options). Just my opinion. Maybe it's exactly what you want to do and I don't really understand your point yet :p PS : Sry for my english. + #3: Christian Spaan (gyges88) (2012-03-06 18:06:26) (reply to #1) + Obviously this idea needed some additional explanation which I added to + the updated description. Thanks for pointing out! #2: Per Jessen (pjessen) (2012-03-05 11:41:41) I think autoyast will help you with quite a bit of this. I don't know if it's possible to do a semi-automatic installation with only some settings preset. See e.g. http://www.suse.de/~ug/AutoYaST_FAQ.html -- openSUSE Feature: https://features.opensuse.org/313289