[Mageia-dev] How will be the realese cycle?

Sat Oct 16 08:56:06 CEST 2010

On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 10:00:14PM -0500, Fernando Parra wrote:
+>The basic/novice user doesn't read anything,
+remove basic/novice from the sentence and i will agree ;)
+
+> doesn't request anything to some like a bugzilla,
+but give him a forum and he probably will
+
+> If you show on his screen some like your proposal, he usually take one of two different ways: 1) Check all the options or maybe worst 2) Close the window and he will think: "Oh hell, Why Linux is so hard?"
+then we shall abuse the user like most windows installers do, and
+install all sort of crap with preselected checkboxes?
+
+>Anyway, after decide what packages will be in the Rolling Light
+was the model decided yet?
+
+>The OS must be gentle with the user and show a Window with a Message like that:
+>
+>There are available a new version of Firefox(as an example). Do you want to install it?
+>NO,   Maybe Later,   Show me more information,    Yes
+popups like this are not gentle, they are annoying, users will try to
+get rid of them as soon as they can and go on with what they were doing.
+
+>Please take in mind that we are trying to get a considerable number of new users. If we just keep doing things like today, we will certainly have new users, but they probably come from other distributions.
+
+Seriuosly speaking, i'd like to make a distinguo:
+The real basic(*) user just uses a computer to get her work done, he
+does not give a damn about a new version of firefox, kde or wathever, as
+long as the version she is using is functioning.
+A popup stating about a new version will probably cause a call to her
+son, either before or after having got rid of it, depending on the
+moment.
+The problem with this kind of user is getting them to apply security
+updates.
+
+(*) i won't call them novice because they might have been using a
+computer for a good deal of time.
+
+Another kind of user is amused by computers, he will read some
+semi-technical magazines, every leaflet from big electronic shop, some
+news site, he will buy a lot of gadgets, and will try to install new
+versions of everything, just to see how they work.
+This user is probably interested of seeing backports of firefox, gnome,
+kde, Ooo, and such.
+He will probably not bother with bugzilla (why the **** do i have to
+input all this crap, cant they just provide me with gizmo 1.99.2.3 like
+every windows user has?), but probably will do such a request on a forum
+like media.
+
+we should not mix the needs of this two categories, neither would like
+it.
+
+btw, we also have users interested in backports of stuff like openldap,
+samba or such, these users will actually contribute to the technical
+making of the distro, either by using bugzilla when they find bugs or
+actually doing packaging work. Ignoring the will of such users will,
+sooner or later, force mageia to employ paid personnel to do packaging
+work.
+
+L.
+
+-- 
+Luca Berra -- bluca at vodka.it
+