Documenting Launchpad for Ubuntu users

[Matthew Revell]

On Wed, 2006-12-20 at 16:26 -0500, Jonathan Jesse wrote:

> I agree after thinking some more, isn't help.launchpad.net a great place
> for these docs to reside?  

Sure, it's the ideal place for general Launchpad documentation.

> Do we need to include these in (X)(K)(Ed)ubuntu-docs package?

I think we should explain Launchpad's relationship with Ubuntu, without
making the user hunt for it.

Let's say we've got a chap called Terry. He's 50, got into computers
around five years ago. He's happy with the way Windows XP works.

Terry's son introduces him to Ubuntu, because Terry is tired of viruses
and spyware. It was a big step for Terry to move away from what he knew,
but his son convinced him that Ubuntu would be good for him.

So, Terry is now happy with the idea that he can trust Ubuntu and,
importantly, he's comfortable with it. 

Over the weeks, he grows more confident until eventually he finds a bug
in Evolution. He looks for help in the packaged Ubuntu docs and learns
that he can tell the Evolution team about the bug. Trouble is, he finds
himself dumped at a website called Launchpad.

Even with fantastic UI, Launchpad is something different to Ubuntu. The
trust that he's built in Ubuntu doesn't apply. Strange as it sounds, it
knocks his confidence and he chooses to do something else instead.

We need to build a link between Ubuntu and Launchpad, so that people
understand that the trust they have in Ubuntu is transferable to
Launchpad.

In the UK, the American credit card company MBNA tends not to sell cards
under its own branding. Instead, it buys the credit card businesses of
established banks and continues to use their branding. The customers
trust that brand, even though the service is provided by a completely
separate business.

In short, my point is that we don't need to replicate Launchpad's
documentation. We do need to make it a smooth transition from Ubuntu to
Launchpad.

I'm sure that some UI changes in future versions of Launchpad will help
to provide a more comfortable transition for Ubuntu users. Right now,
though, it's something of a jarring leap.


-- 
Matthew Revell
Launchpad Marketing, Canonical Ltd.

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