[ubuntu-uk] Viral Videos - Who's actually interested?....Just another thought....

[Rob Beard]

Quoting John Matthews <jakewc2 at sky.com>:

> I am getting excited and worked up with the rest of you about the
> impending rush on  advertising Ubuntu to get more people to use it, plus
> the courses that are being set up, but I seem to remember getting my
> little netbook, with Linux Lite on it, that was sold by one of the large
> electronics companies on the high street. The guy there said to me, you
> know you will bring it back dont you. Everybody else has, they cant
> connect to their internet. I heard a lot about Linux computers being
> taken back because people couldnt work out how to use them, the  shops
> didnt even ask what was up in the end, they just  credited them.  That
> was last year.
>

Having not bought a netbook running Linux, I'm guessing here, but  
could that be down to bad documentation?

I recently setup a laptop for my Dad from HP running Windows.  As part  
of the setup, it takes you through connecting to a wireless network  
with a fancy easy to understand wizard.  Of course I didn't need that,  
in fact I thought it got in the way somewhat considering I was wiping  
it anyway, but I wonder if this is the problem some people were having?

Maybe sometimes there needs to be an easy to use idiots guide which  
tells users what to click and then sets it up for them.

Saying that, I've had problems with Windows too, usually down to the  
wireless key itself maybe being a little bit too short (anything under  
6 characters and I've found WPA to be hit and miss in connecting on  
both Windows and Ubuntu).

> Has anybody thought about how they are going to make it so that it can
> be easier to set the machine up, when its first opened?

Maybe a getting started wizard which runs when the user first logs in  
(a bit like what Windows has) might be an idea, with the option to  
skip the wizard for more experienced users might be handy.


> Plus, has
> anybody thought, who and how if there is an increase in Linux users, a
> help format is going to be set up, so that people can get immediate
> help, if needed, because it will be immediate help that people will
> want, not sometime later, but there and then, they wont wait, and its no
> good saying, 'those of us who are on these forums and e-mail groups have
> other jobs and we do this for nothing, that wont be good enough'. people
> wont accept that. You could be doing Ubuntu a world of good, with all
> this new advertising and enthusiasm, but you could ruin it for good, if
> there is no sufficient help after sales.

The problem with this is getting someone to provide the support.  PC  
vendors tend to have support lines for users which they can call for  
assistance.  These lines are manned by paid staff.  We're not getting  
paid for support on the mailing list/IRC/forums, and I'm quite happy  
to spare some time to offer help and advice where I can (usually on  
the mailing list, but sometimes in person), I can't give an unlimited  
amount of time as I do have a day job.

Maybe between us Ubuntu users across the world we could maybe each  
offer some help via some sort of chat facility, say maybe offering an  
hour or so a week (years ago I was a 'chat host' for Lycos chat and I  
did a similar thing, giving them two hours a week over two days to  
help out new users in the chat rooms, I wasn't paid for it but I did  
get a free Lycos t-shirt :-) )

> Just a thought.

A fairly valid one too.

Rob