On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 18:14:59 -0700
Siri Amrit Kaur <
tigerflag@tigerflag.com> wrote:
> I know we've bandied about our suggestions for the distros to make
> available for installation at the InstallFest, but I don't recall if
> any decisions were made or not.
<SNIP>
Siri,
That's something I'm working on. I'd like to have a set "triage" procedure so we don't get into the common situation of trying one distro after another on a box until something (or more likely nothing) works.
If we can identify up front what is likely to be a problem (video, for example) we can chose the right distro (or the right install options) for that computer.
I also want to avoid the situation where a newbie is bombarded by three or four people suggesting different distros. Too much choice at this point *is* a bad thing. We need to find a stable of 6-8 distros that have *proved* themselves. Having one or two people responsible for triage would help here.
The workflow as I see it should (ideally) be like this:
1. Newbie arrives, is greeted and asked for the form they filled out before coming listing the components in the box. This will tell us what is partical to install and if low memory or a small hard drive will be an issue. They are then asked to fill out a disclaimer (install at your own risk) form.
2. The partiton table is checked with cfdisk for the partition format so we know if there are hidden recovery partitions, etc. that shouldn't be touched and so we know which partition, if more than one exists, to resize.
3. Resize the partition to make room for Linux. Check that Windows boots then send the person off to someone else for the actual install.
4. The goal of the InstallFest is to get up and running a working Linux desktop. If the installer runs into problems along the way s/he should note them and continue the install if the problem isn't a show-stopper. We don't want to get bogged down trying to fix something and in the end the person goes home empty handed. I'd hate for the person to get home and say, "I spent four hours there and no one could get Linux to install on my computer and they almost trashed my Windows setup!"
3. The installer (or someone else) needs time to show the person around the new installation, list items that need to be followed up on and, if time permits, setup networking, e-mail, printing, modem if that's the only way the person connects to the Net. Ideally, the person should walk out with a Linux box they can use today or be assured that someone will followup and see that it's fixed.
Now this won't happen overnight, of course, but I think we need to plan things to make this goal possible. I also think that if we do it right it will be a fun learning experience for all.
Dennisk
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