Hello, First post to the list so hello to everyone involved in the project. Totally agree with the push for 'normal' users. A lot of FOSS projects cater for the non 'enthusiast' user as an afterthought and the results are often a bit unsatisfactory. Initially build for the lowest common denominator. Keep it simple. Even things like the wiki have to hook in the interested but non techie passer by.
Need a 'five reasons why you should care' page (if there isn't something similar already). Cheers, Ian On 15 March 2011 17:55, Boaz <[email protected]> wrote: > Thomas: > > >Suppose I want to make a bulk purchase of a whopping > >500 of of these, load 'em up with freedombox > >pre-installs and sell 'em -- in my town among friends > >and family and such, for now. > > > >And I want all this to go down 11 months from today. > > > >So I don't care for that short a time frame about > >booting in the most hostile environments because I'm > >pretty sure I can't ship any of the hardware to > >such environments nevermind support the software there > >just yet. I want to ship to less hostile environments > >first to kind of get the juices flowing... to get > >to a point where honest to gosh users (however unexciting > >they are compared to active revolutionaries) are spending > >money on freedombox technology, and that money is feeding > >back into development. > > > >Real, real simple. I want to give one to my cousin-in-law > >to use for their blogging of their kids progress as she > >enters first grade.... that kind of thing. > > I completely agree. We will get the freedom box into the hands of > active revolutionaries in time. But for our ambitions of quick > release, if at any point we find that it will be quicker to get it > ready for unexciting normal boring users in normal times, let's go > that direction for now. It will aid in protecting freedom in their > hands too, and will as you say "get the juices flowing". > > Jonas: > > >On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 07:03:23PM -0700, Thomas Lord wrote: > >> > >> Opinions and speculations requested, please. > >> What is our group vision about this: > >> > >> I mail off a headless freedombox to some non-hacker > >> friend (who, let's assume, has a computer > >> and Internet connection at home already, but > >> who isn't a sysadmin or anything close). > >> > >> He opens it up. Plugs it in / turns it > >> on. The package, I hope, has one page of > >> instructions about how to configure the > >> freedombox and start using it. > >> > >> What does the process look like? > >> > >> Does my friend have to have wifi? > >> Or a spare ethernet cable and a router > >> with a spare slot? What if his wifi > >> is password protected? Does he > >> telnet to the box? Use a web browser? > >> Or does it include a (possibly tiny, minimal) > >> display and my friend is supposed to plug > >> in a keyboard? > >> > >> What is a realistic and desirable "vision" > >> for the "first 10 minutes" experience? > > > > > >I imagine something like this: > > > > > > * Initiate personalization mode in one of these ways: > > a) Plug a USB keyboard into the box while turned off. > > Turn box on, and when light changes to slowly blinking > > (approx. 1 minut) type in a temporary passphrase (yes, > > blindly, there is no screen) and unplug the keyboard. > > b) Hold down reset button for 5 seconds while turned off. > > Turn box on while keeping down reset button, and when > > light changes to slowly blinking (approx. 1 minut) > > release the reset button. > > * Notice how light blinks double now, indicating pairing mode. > > If not then repeat above step. > > * connect the box and your own computer one of these ways: > > a) connect directly with an ethernet cable > > b) connect directly with a USB cable - showing as a usb-net at > > your computer > > c) connect your own computer to wifi network "freedomnet" > > offered by the box. > > * connect to web address http://freedombox.local/ or connect to DLNA > device "freedombox". > > * Enter your passphrase (if using reset button, enter 1234). > > * Select the Freedoms you want enabled, and select "OK". > > * If your selection included personal freedoms then enter your > > nickname (you can add more later), and save the WebID you > > are then being given. > > NB! Very important that you keep this WebID and keep it > > private - it is your key to personal data on FreedomBox! > > I imagine something more like this: > > 1. First you install the freedom box interface software for the > personal computer which you already have. It's packaged for your > GNU/Linux distribution, or you can download it from the web for your > Windows or Macintosh computer, or either way it came with the freedom > box you bought on a CD or USB drive. Installing it from the web for > Windows should be even easier than installing Mozilla Firefox from the > web for Windows. > > 2. Now you connect the freedom box directly to your computer with either: > a) an ethernet cable > b) a USB cable > One of these two cables came with the freedom box when you bought it. > Later in normal use you'll be able to interact with the freedom box > over an encrypted wireless link. > > 3. You click the icon for the freedom box interface which the > installation process has conveniently automatically placed on your > desk top (the same icon that you're going to click for the interface > that you're going to use to interact with your freedom box in normal > use). > > 4. It walks you step by step through anything you might need to do, > which is as little as possible. As Jonas has written, all services > have sensible defaults and are ready to go, and any tuning is optional > and can be done later (like, in an accessible and easy to use settings > menu). The process should be as easy or easier than setting up a > Facebook account. > > This might be ambitious, but it's what we need to get people to use > the thing. Normal users do not tolerate hassle of any kind. Even all > that stuff with the blinking lights and the reset button and so on > will be viewed by users as an unacceptable pain in the neck. > > _______________________________________________ > Freedombox-discuss mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/freedombox-discuss >
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