On Sat, Apr 15, 2000 at 01:59:51AM +0200, Gael Duval wrote:
> tu le refais en anglais et j'applaudis ;) et tu te fais 99% d'amis sur
> Cooker-list!
Applaudis! Et merde au pourcent restant.
Congrats 4 yer past contrib 2 Linux usability,
which makes Mandrake 1 of the least difficult systems
to configure 4 a newbie.
Here's a report after a short XP at configuring Mandrake 7.0 for a friend
(who managed to install it himself beforehand -- congrats 2 U!).
Sorry for telegraphic style STOP No copious free time STOP
* Network config (using DrakeConf)
= why must we manually specify the if name,
instead of having by default the names of detected interfaces?
= same for corresponding modules, all the more since Lothar is meant
to autodetect the mapping modules<->interfaces
(why didn't it detect and insmod net2k-pci
as the module for the very common Realtek 8029 ?)
= if the machine will autodetect the if when left blank,
why is it a blank instead of the label "auto" ?
* DHCP, when I select DHCP on a network interface,
= why fscking not display an error when dhcp client not present?
= yes some message is logged somewhere. Frankly, Scarlet, I don't give a ...
As if newbie even ever dreamt the concept of logs.
= why not automagically install a client if not present ?
and the newbie not fscking cares about the difference b/w dhcpcd &
dhcp-client -- pick one for him, no ask question, unless in expert mode.
I recommend dhcpcd.
= why need I manually type "ifup eth0" (or yuck, reboot????) to enable the
network after I manually installed DHCP (cause I couldn't tell DrakeConf
how to try again).
= (dream) why not have a package that automagically manage known french ISPs?
Newbie no want to manually manage technical details
that newbie no understand. frontend must manage that for him.
* RpmDrake
= why DrakeConf propose KPackage not RpmDrake???
= why DrakeConf not in KDE menu ???
= why so difficult to know what to put in FTP configuration?
= why no fscking error message when FTP configuration not well specified?
= why no preconfigured list of FTP repositories (even disabled by default)
or an option to autofetch one from mandrake's home site?
= why forget everything I spent minutes to guess and type, in case of error?
= why not instead have the ability to define disabled sources, and disable
those where error detected (or still enable them, and trigger error flag).
= why not an easy response to this important question on the Mandrake FAQ?
as if the FTP option wasn't COMPLETELY FSCKING USELESS as is.
Even I (no fscking newbie) couldn't successfully use it.
* email
= why so difficult to find where to specify the smtp gateway?
= why not in network_config/server_tasks/foo ?
= it looks like you're doing the Right Thing(TM) of pointing all apps
to localhost, with the /usr/lib/sendmail doing the Right Thing(TM).
However, since there is NO FSCKING WAY I could find in DrakeConf to tell
postfix what the Right Thing(TM) is, that's pretty fscking stupid.
How is postfix meant to find the server?
Did it read it in a chicken's guts?
Is my newbie friend meant to have guessed the right answer the first time
at install, with NO WAY BACK on error? Scary!
HOURS lost in STRESS. Quite reminds me of Windows.
Had to finally tell netscape to use my ISP's gateway directly.
* SSH
= why not available in simple and documented way?
= reminder: OpenSSH is free, french rules allow its use.
= reminder: can have additional CD, and/or two different CDs,
w/ or w/o crypto (possibly 2 iso images, with multisession to make one CD).
= Debian has packages for difficult to distribute software:
1- optional CDs to use when permitted
2- package servers in free countries, preconfigured in installation menus
3- wrapper packages that go fetch non-free software from distro site,
and automagically patches and installs them.
* terminal emulator
= why fscking buggy kterm by default on the KDE bar?
it so fskcing sucks that I had to quit it and reattach screen from
a real xterm so as to finish this mail (typing in a telnet'd emacs).
= why ALT configured as 8-bit setter instead of meta-char inserter in xterm?
All 8-bit clean systems (everyone since 1995?) have ALT-foo => ESC foo
* DNS
= why when I blank back the DNS, instead of deactivating it,
it doesn't replace it by the DHCP configuration, as would if I rebooted?
Of course it works if I *manually* relaunch DHCP. Fsck.
= There's a difference between AUTO and NONE.
Should be NO FSCKING BLANK FIELD.
Even the fscking braindead BIOS knows the difference between AUTO and NONE
in its IDE configuration!!!
= if you have AUTO mode, better have an expert mode menu to choose tactic,
error recovery policy, etc.
* Netscape
= why outgoing mail pointing to localhost if localhost can't be configured?
= why preferences, new message, etc, windows no fit in the 800x600 screen?
looks like bad KDE configuration.
My FVWM2 configuration at home works great.
= why does Netscape fscking annoys me every 10 minutes telling me it
didn't find my incoming server (I just fscking didn't configure it, dude!)
YOUR fault. The way you preconfigured Netscape is buggy.
You might provide a control panel to let the user choose which is his
main mail reading platform: if my newbie friend had put his account info
in there, messages read under linux wouldn't have been readable from his
main (windows) account anymore!!! [happily I clicked on the POP option
"messages stay on server"]. Tough challenge for you. Good luck.
= just wish Mozilla 6 will be ready for next Mandrake.
* KDE
= why no able to move a window from a single button click when the title
bar is hidden by the taskbar, when button1&2 both redundantly resize
the window? Might have only one of these resize, and the other move!!!
[No, ALT-buttonX is NO VALID RESPONSE. As if the newbie would remotely
guess about it] [even button2 needs be CLEARLY DOCUMENTED in the paper
docs and help, in case of Emulate3Buttons]
If needed, transmit gripe to wm configuration standards body.
NB:
Making a frontend for newbies to easily manage their machine's config,
that's GOOD. Up to now, Mandrake has done great things,
and all contributors must be congratulated.
Now, there's a lot of things still to do,
and I fear that an ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLE of interface construction
has been forgotten while elaborating your frontend.
The principle is as follows:
Whatever feature the interface has,
is is of FOREMOST IMPORTANCE,
I repeat, it is of _F_O_R_E_M_O_S_T_ _I_M_P_O_R_T_A_N_C_E_
that the user be able to clearly determine
WHAT the interface allows and what it doesn't,
without having to read through 10 or 1000 pages of man
(the maaaan? wossit?).
It is ACCEPTABLE, although disappointing,
that the interface indicates "I cannot".
But that the user be confused and distressed,
and asking questions like "is it possible,
but just me not doing the right thing?", is UNACCEPTABLE!
Options available in the very interface, integrated help, search, etc,
must allow the user to quickly answer the question:
"Is there a way to configure <feature X> from DrakeConf?"
Lack of feature is annoying, but ACCEPTABLE.
"C'est la vie", as americans say that french say.
IF the user wants more features, he'll pay with his time or money,
with a freely competing market of providers.
What is clearly UNACCEPTABLE is that the interface would confuse the user,
and increase his STRESS level, and sorrows to him by suggesting that
something is possible, yet not providing it, or in an unfindable menu,
or with an ambiguous field (blank instead of AUTO or NONE),
such that he has to look through the WHOLE list of menus
(or worse, whole list of combination of options) before he can assert
(with the uncertainty of having not been comprehensive)
whether the feature was present or not.
That's clearly a BUG in the design and implementation of the interface.
BTW, in the (low-level) network configuration menu,
there should be a symlink/Xref to the network daemon configuration.
Will save a lot of time. Also, if windows have (optional?) full hierarchical
name that helps guess easily how to retrieve them afterwards, that's great.
Maybe even a tree-like presentation of configuration menus somewhere would
be great.
Since Mandrake integrates Linux software into newbie-usable distributions,
it would be great for you to consult (on their internet sites and/or by
paying for occasional consultancy) with usability experts.
I recommend that Mandrake developers print the 10 commandments of usability
and post it on top of their workstation consoles.
I'm sure the previous principle is part of them commandments.
Usability isn't about features. It's about a suitable spirit.
-- #f Ð, for René Loulergue.
PS: yeah, at home, I use debian, am satisfied, and won't change.
I helped RL to configure network in Mandrake on his home box.
He could install Mandrake alone,
so that's already a great feat you accomplished.
Since he failed with mandrake networking,
you still have more feats to accomplish.
Since he previously managed to get network going with COREL Linux,
you MUST be able to do it.
Globally, Mandrake 7.0 is impressive, as compared to my previous experience
with RedHat 5.x & 6.x. Congratulations!
[ François-René ÐVB Rideau | Reflection&Cybernethics | http://fare.tunes.org ]
[ TUNES project for a Free Reflective Computing System | http://tunes.org ]
First, they said Java was good for app-lets; then they recoiled, and said
it was good for serv-lets; actually, what it's good for is toy-lets.
