Suggestions for openSUSE-11.1 Newbie Installation stickie?

[oldcpu]

Welcome to a thread on the openSUSE-11.1 Newbie Installation stickie.

If you have any suggestions about the "Newbie" openSUSE-11.1 installation stickie, which is located here:
http://forums.opensuse.org/install-b...ease-read.html
please reply here in this current thread (and not in that locked thread). In particular NNTP users reply on this thread, and NOT on the locked stickie thread.

As appropriate, the mods and the admin can update that stickie to correct errors, or improve the guidance.

For example, i'm also pondering the recommendations from the 11.0 stickie:
Suggestions for openSUSE-11.0 Newbie Installation stickie? - openSUSE Forums

... of course we all have our own pet things to do after a new install.

Typically, my very first things to do after a fresh openSUSE installation are

• get internet functioning
• setup my repositories for easy software installation (oss, non-oss, update and packman) [others to be added later only after one understands implications and how to work around problems that can crop up]
• update my multimedia (to have entertaining music for remainder of setup)
• tune desktop and install other custom applications ..

Whats the view? Should that (with more detailed but still simple instructions) be added as a page to the Installation/stickie, or as a different stickie, or a how-to ?

My view is it does not belong in the stickie for installation (but should be a how-to), but I concede thats sort of a border line call. I'm sure others see this different. What does everyone think?

Thank you for your input.

On Sun December 14 2008 11:26 am, oldcpu wrote:

<snip>
>
> My view is it does not belong in the stickie for installation (but
> should be a how-to), but I concede thats sort of a border line call. I'm
> sure others see this different. What does everyone think?
>
> Thank you for your input.
>
Oldcpu;

Have you considered using the stickie to give links to various HowTos.
e.g.
For help setting up your Internet connection see: http:// blah.blah
For help with Samba see: http://xyz
etc.
Just my 2 cents worth.

--
P. V.
"We're all in this together, I'm pulling for you." Red Green

[oldcpu]

Originally Posted by PV

Have you considered using the stickie to give links to various HowTos.
e.g.
For help setting up your Internet connection see: http:// blah.blah
For help with Samba see: http://xyz
etc.
Just my 2 cents worth.

I think its a good idea. ... If we can work together on this thread, to create a consolidated list of wiki guides/how-tos/items that are not already covered (but in the view of our membership absolutely MUST be covered as the majority of new users need the information), then either myself or one of the other mods can create a new wiki "add on" post to the stickie, with a useful wiki list.

Here are some links to posts that were in the old 11.0 stickie, that I hope to include in the 11.1 stickie, once the equivalent links are populated:

• Installation screen images
• Top Level Guide and Links
• Highlights of 11.0
• openSUSE documentation
• SATA guidance - part-1
• SATA guidance - part-2
• LiveCD offerings

On Sun December 14 2008 01:56 pm, oldcpu wrote:

>
> PV;1908059 Wrote:
>> Have you considered using the stickie to give links to various HowTos.
>> e.g.
>> For help setting up your Internet connection see: http:// blah.blah
>> For help with Samba see: http://xyz
>> etc.
>> Just my 2 cents worth.
> I think its a good idea. ... If we can work together on this thread,
> to create a consolidated list of wiki guides/how-tos/items that are not
> already covered (but in the view of our membership absolutely MUST be
> covered as the majority of new users need the information), then either
> myself or one of the other mods can create a new wiki "add on" post to
> the stickie, with a useful wiki list.
>
> Here are some links to posts that were in the old 11.0 stickie, that I
> hope to include in the 11.1 stickie, once the equivalent links are
> populated:
<snip>
Oldcpu;
With a little more thought on this. It might be a good idea to post links
to the HowTos pertinent to a particular forum in the stickie for that forum,
even if these are repeated from the links in the "Newbie stickie". I'm not
sure if Novel allows posting links to sites other than those owned by
Opensuse, but I think it would be good to post links to openprinting.org and
swerdna's Network HowTos.

--
P. V.
"We're all in this together, I'm pulling for you." Red Green

[caf4926]

I ran a VBox install of 11.1 rc1 earlier today and it was totally trouble free. The new partitioner was really not that different (at least not to me), seen one you seen them all.

Will there be an 11.1 equivalent of this: Installation/11.0 DVD Install - openSUSE
and: Installation/11.0 Live CD - openSUSE
Forum equiv's would be good too.

Personally I would go with you Lee and recommend you keep install and config in separate sections.

[mingus725]

Just a fwiw, this might be worth a look at . . . the Ubuntu - - community documentation page https://help.ubuntu.com/community which starts a hierarchy of high-level categorized menu pages. The broad simply-worded categories with progressive drill-down might facilitate more/better newbie usage. The sub-pages seem to be written with new, English-as-second-language, users in mind. Again, just fwiw . . .

[oldcpu]

Originally Posted by mingus725

Just a fwiw, this might be worth a look at . . . the Ubuntu - - community documentation page https://help.ubuntu.com/community which starts a hierarchy of high-level categorized menu pages.

The formatting is nice ... but I confess picking nice colours to display things is most definitely NOT my forte' ... Thats more "marketing", and thats a Ubuntu strong point, but its not something I would dream of trying to compete against in a forum stickie. Also, such a marketing presentation (with nice colours and fonts) is the sort of thing that someone with a different skill set than I would have to tackle.

Also, from what I saw with a cursory look, the scope of the Ubuntu page is well beyond Installation, while I am trying hard to focus on only installation for Newbies, with ONLY selected post install pointers (not post install guides) on where to look after the install is complete. Also, that Ubuntu page most definitely comes across more as something that would be compared vs an openSUSE wiki, and not compared to a stickie on our forum. I would like to keep this in context.

There may (hopefully) come a time when our forum posts and wiki posts are more closely merged, but I don't think we are there yet. I know I am definitely not up to creating a wiki page (with fancy fonts/colours) specific to openSUSE-11.1 installation at this time. Nor likely for the future. Again, fancy fonts/colours are not my forte. Someone else who enjoys spending lots of time iteratively trying different fonts/colours, and who enjoys that sort of stuff would need to do that.

I've spent the past couple of hours playing with a Fedora live CD and looking at their documentation, to see what I can pick up there. ... Thus far, I think we look as good, if not better, than Fedora documentation/live-CD.

wrt Ubuntu, I get overwhelmed by the vast amount of Ubuntu documentation. Plus, given I find fedora interesting, and Ubuntu boring, I think someone else (other than myself) needs to go thru the Ubuntu forums for "newbie installation stickie" material.

[mingus725]

As I said, just fwiw - doesn't appear to be much. I didn't mean it really as a literal example, much more for its simple categorization broken down in subpages to manageable and readable amounts. I saw the hardware section there is more of a comparison to what you are doing, with 10 broad easily-understood (and fairly non-technical) wording sub-sections, linked to common-english written pages. That was my gist . . .

[oldcpu]

Originally Posted by mingus725

I saw the hardware section there is more of a comparison to what you are doing, with 10 broad easily-understood (and fairly non-technical) wording sub-sections, linked to common-english written pages. That was my gist . . .

Thanks for the link and for looking.

If there are any specific modifications we can add from their pages, its never too late to throw them in.

To "everyone", please feel free to post recommendations from any such observations here (the more specific the recommendation the better) and we can add them if it is in scope of our stickie, and if the membership deems it worthwhile.

Ultimately, outside the scope of our forum, it would be good to see a proper marketing style wiki, with nice formatting, along the lines of the Ubuntu page (which I think is a form of wiki) created by the openSUSE community.

> In particular NNTP users reply on this thread, and NOT on the
> locked stickie thread.

Unless I miss my best guess it is impossible for NNTP users to even *see*
"stickies", much less respond to them. And, I believe that is a known limitation
with no 'fix' contemplated. (But, I'd love to be proven wrong.)


> Thank you for your input.

You are welcome, sir.