Unlucky install report

[Peter Damoc]

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 02:17:08 +0300, Matt Zimmerman <mdz at ubuntu.com> wrote:

> On Wed, Apr 13, 2005 at 12:26:15PM +0300, Peter Damoc wrote:
>
>> Well... first let me apologize for not taking a pen and paper and  
>> writing
>> it all down as is it actually happen, I'll just use my poor memory.
>>
>> 1. I've arrived home, entered my XP installation, verified that I don't
>> have anything important on C: drive.
>> 2. Rebooted the machine with Hoary install CD in my drive.
>> 3. Went and got a bowl of popcorn and the last of my Stella Artois
>> 4. Hoary booted and it said that I should hit Enter, I did and nothing
>> happened. What the heck! I tried entering something else, no luck, my
>> keyboard was dead. BTW i have a wireless USB Logitech iTouch Keyboard  
>> and
>> mouse. After trying various things I found a solution: change the USB  
>> slot
>> in which the keyboard was plugged. (I shouldn't have had to do that!)
>
> There isn't much that Ubuntu can do about this; your BIOS has control of  
> the
> keyboard at this point.

Strange... because the keyboard worked in preinstall (I could enter BIOS
by pressing DEL key)

>> 5. I've installed Hoary and the single most annoying thing was the fact
>> that it assumed that I have to have an internet.
>
> It does not assume any such thing; please describe the problem that you
> experienced rather than suggesting a possible cause.

The problem is abnormal times at boot-up (it hangs on time
synchronisation). I know how to disable the service but it was ON by
default so... I guessed that the installer assumed that I have an internet
connection. Also during install there is an apt update which as you might
have guessed doesn't play nice on a disconnected computer.

>> 6. After install I'm presented with a nice 640x480 screen which looked
>> pretty cool on my 17' LCD. What the heck part 2.
>
> A seventeen-foot LCD?  That must have been expensive! ;-)

Oopsie. ;)

> http://www.ubuntulinux.org/wiki/DebuggingXAutoconfiguration
>

I know I'm naive BUT couldn't the installer present the user with its
intents and after the users OKs that proceed unattended?
Here is how I view it:
the installer look for hardware and then presents a list of things that
will be done. If a step requires user input it ask for that user input
upfront (doesn't let the user proceed unless he enters that extra info).

1. Packet selection (what will be installed): default Basic Desktop
2. Location of the installation: if the HDD is empty or has enough free
space the installer presents the user the automatic partitioning, if there
is not enough space the installer doesn't let the user proceed ofering
him/her the posibility to alter the partiotion table.
3. Display: the detected video card and monitor with the default
resolution. Again... let the user alter this settings. Consider the fact
that there is a great posibility that the user knows the monitor target
resolution so present the monitors like "Standard SVGA monitor that can do
800x600 at 75 Hz" or "Standard 17'' LCD with 1280x1024". Also provide for
people that know their monitor can do more but they want less (people that
prefere lower resolutions for some reason)
4. Locale: Timezone, language (this could automaticaly alter the step1
like in "Basic Desktop de"
5. Input devices: Keyboard layout and mice (should default to the selected
language layout but allow for other input)
6. Network: default DHCP with the posibility to select "No Network",
"Default local network - class C IP" (IP:192.168.0.x, netmask
255.255.255.0, gateway and DNS to 192.168.0.1), "Full Manual"
7. username/password

this should be it! click "Proceed" and in some time have a fresh Ubuntu
ready to be used.
Consider the fact that people may come from windows and expect certain
things. for example I find it tedious to have to time my username all the
time. Couldn't there be a list like in the windows login? Also... a lot of
computer have physical security, that means none can get access to the
keyboard, or maybe there is a public computer that could have a root
password and a guest passwordless account. maybe "Automatic Login " could
be enabled in step 7.

All this 7 steps could be presented in a single screen with buttons for
customisation and ofcourse the big PROCEED.

why do I have to press Enter to start the installation, I could be
presented with the 7 steps screen automaticaly, there is no harm done, I
can allways press "Cancel"

I know about the manual part of d-i and at first this might look somehow
like that part BUT the key in this is the fact that the installer tells
the user upfront what will be done and after "Proceed' it doesn't require
anymore input.

Another dream I have is the One Phase Install, why the heck isn't this
possible? is like a Live CD but with an installation. I pop in the CD, it
presents me with a choice of either start it LIVE or install it on my
computer and... after some short time I use the system. If the
installation was chosen, after the necessary information is provided, the
Live CD part starts providing the user with a usable Desktop meanwhile in
a background thread the installer copies the needed files on the HDD,
maybe a progress bar could show the status of the install, meanwhile the
user can access the internet (if available), play a game or read some
documentation. Every document he creates is saved on his future home dir
(partitioning should be the first step of instalation so by the time the
LiveCD is active there should be a place available). Changes the user does
are saved in his home dir and the next time he starts the computer...
everything works without the CD...
I realise that such a dream has little chances of coming true because most
developers consider the installation as a one time thing and what the
heck, the user can wait 45 min or the user can do a reboot, is not that
hard. Meanwhile the user still feels like in the stone age, "Why, oh why,
do I have to do that?"

Peter.