Our best foot forward

[randall]

Patrick wrote:
> indeed I am unsure of how to contribute.
>
> It would seem that I could take the prize for both the longest and most 
> poorly written emails as the feedback I am receiving is disconnected 
> from the message I was sending.
>
> To summarize my long winded emails:
>
> Ubuntu is the ultimate OS for the power user, programmer and System 
> administrator.This is what needs to be promoted.
>
> Something like a helper script is badly needed but a post installation 
> script is basically the same thing, no need to re-invent the wheel, it's 
> better to improve whats already there.
>
> Most post installation scripts are turned off by default, they should 
> not be.
>
> The post installation scripts are not very accessible. The configure 
> option should also be available under the right click in synaptic.
>
> The post installation scripts should have more of a tutorial element to 
> them.
>
> The post installation scripts should be divided up between programmers 
> and tutorial writers.
>
> The tutorial element should be written by users that were recipients of 
> the first ones, not by long time Linux experts who are disconnected from 
> the experiences of a new user.
>
> I want to help write these post installation script tutorials.
>
> I apologize for contradicting myself on the documentation issue. The 
> documentation that is written is already excellent. The only problem 
> with it is that some users, like me, may get confused as to what is 
> Ubuntu specific and what is Linux specific, they are not always the same 
> as my manual compiling experience taught me. A Synaptic like search 
> repository within the OS that pointed outwards to Ubuntu specific online 
> documentation would be helpful.
>
> -Patrick
>
>
> Matthew Paul Thomas wrote:
>   
>> On Nov 20, 2007, at 1:50 PM, Patrick wrote:
>>     
>>> ...
>>> We should be putting forth what Ubuntu can do that Windows cannot. It 
>>> is the ability to set up so many services and customize so many 
>>> things that makes it amazing. Most of this still needs to be done at 
>>> the terminal though. People need to be able to use it's rich set of 
>>> features without so much suffering.
>>>
>>> All of my suggestions seem to be rebuffed and the general feedback I am
>>> getting is that everything is already the way it needs to be.
>>> ...
>>>       
>> I think the problem is that you're unclear about how you want to 
>> contribute.
>>
>> You proposed helper terminal scripts for setting up server functions, 
>> and then you said perhaps it wasn't a good idea after all.
>>
>> You said the post-install scripts should be better, and Onno invited 
>> you to report bugs about specific problems. Have you?
>>
>> You said the help and support could be better, I invited you to join 
>> the documentation team, and then you said "I don't think it is lacking 
>> in terms of the casual user" and "I am not having trouble searching 
>> for documentation".
>>
>> You suggested running usability tests, I invited you to do just that, 
>> and then you said it would be difficult to find representative test 
>> subjects. (True, but it's just as difficult for almost anyone else.)
>>
>> Forgive us if we're running out of ideas for how you can help. :-) 
>> Writing mailing list messages does not, in itself, improve Ubuntu.
>>
>> Cheers
>>     
>
>
>   
it is true, Linux has everything you need if you don´t mind to edit some 
configuration files and spent a day or two to figure out the things you 
want to accomplish OR if somebody already made a simple interface for 
you to use it or pre-configured it.
Ubuntu is made with the ¨no-brainer klik-klak power-user¨ in mind and i 
must say they already came a long way when it comes to the desktop but 
it is still lacking in the server department.

if you want to start contributing you will need to find a small personal 
itch, something that bothers you and you need to see improved,
you were talking about setting up vsftpd as a first troublesome 
experience so that would be a nice start, some script might do it indeed 
but maybe it would be good to have a look at ebox for example that is in 
development to become a part ubuntu (think they are working for Hardy), 
it is something that will strengthen the easy ubuntu experience on the 
server side, so you might want to have a look there, is FTP already a 
standard option in ebox?