Re: educating users

On 9/19/05, Chris Gianelloni <[email protected]> wrote: 
> 
> On Mon, 2005-09-19 at 02:07 -0400, Bryan Quigley wrote:
> > I am a noob with gentoo and linux. Are you trying to make it harder
> > for me to install gentoo, and make it take more time?
> 
> I think what Andrew is trying to do is curb the people out there that
> think that using a graphical installer makes Gentoo any easier to
> install, when it does not.
> 
> > gentoo was my first real attempt at linux, and I installed it as I
> > read the handbook. I didnt read and master the handbook before
> > starting the install.
> 
> You don't have to read and master it, you just have to follow it. The
> problem here is stemming from people that are refusing to read the
> Handbook, then wondering why they can't get Gentoo installed and are
> starting to flood our support channels with questions answered in the
> Handbook.
> 
> > If you believe that someone having trouble with gentoo would ask it on
> > a list instead of reading the handbook. Then might they just ask the
> > questions from the test?
> 
> Exactly. This is the reason why I think any kind of quiz would be
> pretty pointless. Perhaps a starting page that tells the user that the
> documentation is located in the Handbook and that they should read the
> Handbook before asking questions would be good, but anything as
> pervasive as a quiz is pretty much wasted time on both the developer's
> part and the user's.
> 
> Do we need a copy of the Handbook on the CD for use by the installer?
> That shouldn't be a problem and is of minimal size. One other thing
> that we will need is information on the installer added to the Handbook,
> as right now, a lot of assumptions are made that the users will be able
> to translate the command-line options from the Handbook into clicks (or
> selections) in the installer front-ends.
> 
> Yes, it is going to take a lot of work. Yes, it is going to suck. Yes,
> I recommend trying to find and bribe one of the docs team members into
> being an installer docs monkey for a short while. ;]
> 
> --
> Chris Gianelloni
> Release Engineering - Strategic Lead
> Games - Developer
> Gentoo Linux
> 
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