a linux ready for simple users ? (Re: issues with warty final

[Philippe Landau]

Turing Test wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 00:17:20 +0200, Oliver Grawert
> <hostmaster at grawert.net> wrote:
>>Am Mittwoch, den 27.10.2004, 23:07 +0200 schrieb Philippe Landau:
>>>if legal problems make it impossible to include things,
>>>it would be easy to make a script that guides
>>>through the installation of stuff from other sources,
>>>or at least a simple but complete how-to,
>>>a step by step guide (like a cookbook) to a
>>>more complete system that includes DVD viewing and remixing,
>>>internet radio and tv, and movie playback
>>>including xvid, divx, mpeg4, quicktime and flash,
>>>and some of the best p2p apps available.
>>did you actually look at this page ?
>>http://wiki.ubuntu.com/RestrictedFormats
> I wouldn't consider RestrictedFormats a guided script, nor a simple
> but complete how-to; it's more of a "why-not".
> 
> The very single thing that Ubuntu should at least do, in order to be
> user-friendly, is linking to a real how-to "on demand", when the user
> makes hers first attempt to open a file format that's not supported by
> Ubuntu. Instead she has a Nautilus hell-alert-box saying that it
> doesn't know what to do with that file, giving the impression that
> Ubuntu "just doesn't work".
it's not just an impression,
i have installed ubuntu for others too,
and i have to switch their computers to other distros now,
because i am not able to make multimedia work on their machines:
the applications are partly not enough tested/integrated
and it would requires hours of troubleshooting
to make these movies work on their computer.

>>if you follow the instructions all proprietary formats are just some
>>mouseclicks away in synaptic.
> Given that you already know what Synaptic is, and how to use it. Those
> I would consider moderately advanced knowledge for a non-sophisticated
> user that knows how to use a mouse and just want to listen to her
> music. At the bare minimum, you should supply her with mediums to
> learn how to put her system to work, in a task-oriented way.
as canonical/ubuntu remains on the sidelines here
the best would be if someone could assemble a multimedia edition
like the people integrating reading aids into ubuntu:
 >What I would like to do for the present however,
 >is create a small derivative of the official Warty ISO,
 >with a few accessibility modifications (Luke Yelavich)
it could be distributed on p2p networks.