Ubuntu Help compared with other help systems

[Andreas Lloyd]

Funny that I forgot about this. As a first time user, I automatically 
picked the top option -("Desktop - that sounds about right") and went 
straight through looking for Ubuntu documentation. And instead I found 
all of this GNOME stuff which is really unhelpful: No, I don't want 
deskapplets, No I don't want to read about mouse conventions. After 
having looked through that, I gave up - concluding that Ubuntu's help 
was just as useless as all the other OS'es.

Of course, this was back with Warty, when there was no Starter guide. I 
write this based on Breezy, where there is a starter guide, but can't 
comment on the current state of Dapper. But still - I think that it 
should be the very first thing you see when open up the help system - 
ie. the first link you see.

The desktop guide is not just a mere starter guide - it covers most of 
the basic functions of Ubuntu - and much better than any of the 
standardized information currently in the four categories "Desktop", 
"Applications", Other Documentation", "Manual Pages" - oh, and please: 
how is a new user ever going to know the difference between 
"documentation" and "manual pages" ?
It might be a good idea to explain the differences between these categories.

A most centrally: There's a lot of good work in that desktop guide - 
make people aware of it!

Once a user has become familiar with his system - a sort of intermediate 
user - he'll want to be able to search for a certain help topic, not try 
to second guess where that help might be (in "applications" or in "Other 
documentation"?)

There's so much stuff from various authors in there, that it is 
difficult to navigate. I don't know whether the docBook format supports 
proper searching like some other help functions (I couldn't find one), 
but what is really needed is a good index. From which you can easily 
access all the relevant help functions, whether it is GNOME or a Man page.
Alternately just refer people to the Wiki.

Concretely, I'd suggest something like this as a first page for the Help 
Topics:

******

About Ubuntu
A short description of the Ubuntu 6.06 operating system

Ubuntu 6.06 Desktop Guide
This guide aims to explain to the reader how to configure and use the 
Ubuntu desktop, including adding and using new applications, playing 
media files and configuring hardware, printing and networking.
______________

Desktop Documentation
This contains in-depth guides on the use and configuration of the GNOME 
Desktop Manager.

Application Documentation
Here you will find in-depth manuals for the programs found in the 
Applications Menu.
[NB: where is the documentation for the GIMP and Open Office?! These are 
probably the ones most likely to be used!]

Technical Documentation
This contains documentation on specific technical elements of the Ubuntu 
system.
[I don't know what to call this, really. It is just to warn to average 
users: Geek spoken here]

Manual Pages
Concentrated documentation on the command line elements of the Linux system.

Index
A list of all the topics in the Ubuntu help system. Use the search 
function to find the solution to your problem.

******

Sorry if this came across in a ranty sort of tone. It was meant most 
pleasantly. I think we have some excellent docs for Ubuntu, but it 
really does matter how we present it. I don't think it'll help turning 
it into the task-centered help which other help pages use - those are 
usually equally confusing. To me, a quality search function is essential.

Thanks,

Andreas

Matthew East wrote:

>On Fri, 2006-03-31 at 11:40 +1200, Matthew Paul Thomas wrote:
>  
>
>><http://www.g2meyer.com/usablehelp/gallery/index13.html>
>>
>>Notice how almost all the other help systems are organized based on 
>>things you might need help with, while the Ubuntu Help system is 
>>organized based on the way its authors were grouped.
>>    
>>
>
>Do you mean the split between the gnome/system documentation and the
>ubuntu-specific guides at the bottom?
>
>  
>
>>Will the front page in Ubuntu 6.06's help be more useful?
>>    
>>
>
>If you mean what I've taken you to mean above, then no, it won't be more
>useful. It will be slightly more useful to the extent that the Ubuntu
>specific guides are separated into Desktop, Server and Packaging guides,
>but no further than that.
>
>Matt
>  
>