Rutebook and a lot more

[Mario Vukelic]

On Fri, 2008-08-29 at 10:53 +0200, Knapp wrote:
> Ya, but we are talking Linux for dummies. To use that link you must
> know what IRC is, how to install that on your computer, how to start
> it up and then pick a network and then the channel. That is a lot for
> a totally new user. 

I see your point, but have you been on IRC? The steps you listed are, in
my view, a welcome barrier to only let those people actually get onto
IRC who can bear to be there.

> They should click the button and have a program
> come up with IRC Ubuntu running. Then all they have to do is type the
> question and wait. It little paragraph about IRC etiquette would be
> good too.

If you did this, you would have to completely change how the Ubuntu help
channels are used. One would need a heavily moderated channel where
volunteers actually wait to help the clueless, knowing full-well that
they will have to answer inane questions. Otherwise, "all they have to
do is type the question and wait" quickly becomes "... type the question
and be abused".

I don't know if you remember, but Ximian had exactly this feature in
their Gnome version. I don't know how that actually went, but I am
pretty sure that such a feature simply does not scale.