post-install wizard for restricted formats?

[Thomas Templin]

On Tuesday 05 April 2005 15:59, David Feldman wrote:
> Ubuntu is a great distro. That it manages to remain cutting-edge
> and easy to install and use at the same time is impressive, and I
> like what's been happening to the look & feel in Hoary.
>
> Yet I still couldn't recommend it as a good choice for users who
> want to try Linux but don't have a savvy helper around to get it
> running. Hoary is much closer than Warty was, and I think the
> major stumbling block is the restricted formats. SUSE, my current
> favorite in the "it just works" category, is as easy to install
> as Hoary but results in a system with support for MP3 and other
> formats that users will want. I can't imagine non-technical users
> will be particularly tolerant of the need to read documentation,
> configure repositories, etc., just to get their MP3s working.
>
> Anyway, I don't mean to be negative: I have a suggestion for the
> next version. I presume the desire to keep restricted formats out
> of the base install is a strong one. But what about some sort of
> post-install wizard? The user could read a brief paragraph about
> restricted formats, then use a column of checkboxes to select
> formats (mp3, aac, realplayer, DVD, etc., maybe even a crossover
> office demo), which would then be installed without further
> effort.
>
> I honestly feel like such a tool would make a significant
> difference in Ubuntu's ability to appeal to non-technical users.

There will be another very positive side effct.

With such a tool there will be a better chance to give information 
about proprietary formats and why they shouldn't be used. 
This might be very helpfull to improve the awareness of this problem 
amongst users.

Bye,
TT
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