Contribution: New User Feedback Request

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Bogomips
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Contribution: New User Feedback Request

Post#1 by Bogomips » 02 Jul 2014, 15:26

We also appreciate feedback from our newer users, to let us know how the installation process is working and how to improve our documentation. We want Porteus to be easy to isntall, use and understand, and hearing from new users is the best way for us to know how we're doing, and how we can improve.
  1. fanthom wrote:hi Bogomips,
    a) for java please download following packages through USM:
    - openjre
    - icedtea-web
    - cups
    Neither search for USM on website nor on forum turned up anything. :( Finally stumbled on USM in the task bar tool tip for Package Manager.
    • As veteran of good handful of Linux distros, miss a forum 'Software & Applications' section, which following upon each new release on Mint was my second home after 'Newbie Questions'. For instance, at the moment have a problem with Abiword, in that it crashes after some few seconds while loading. So it would be nice to just go to a 'Software & Applications' section of the forum and look for an Abiword thread.
      • Being someone who always reads the operating instructions for a new appliance before switching it on, be it a washing machine or a dvd player, suppose the next thing to be looking for, on the wish list, would be easily found fairly comprehensive documentation on Package and Module Management, something like a Packages and Modules Guide or Reference Manual would be ideal. (Maybe it's already there, but not all in one place.)
        Perhaps a Documentation Page holding some Sections:
        1. Module Management
          1. Installing Modules
          2. Uninstalling Modules
          Using GUI and CLI(if exists)
          As an example there is something very simple I'd like to do. Have Opera on running Live System. Now according to the blurb, should be able, on the fly, to purge Opera from the System and install Firefox from another build(/porteus directory on another partition) without rebooting.
          • Module Structure
            1. Modules containing more than one Package
              Decompressing them. Followed by a Link to the 2 Cases Tutorial
            2. Creating own Modules
              Followed by Link to Bleeding Edge Tutorial.
          • Package Management
            (Btw the link to more info on Package Manager gave a 404 'Page not Found' Error)
        Well, those are my first thoughts and expectations before it all leaves my mind when I immerse myself in the nitty-gritty of it all.
          You can also help Porteus by spreading the word about our distribution. You can also recommend us on Linux-related or other technical forums.
          Porteus can be advertised as a truly Live System and, unless I am mistaken, it's geared to people who want to use a Live System.

          It's quite aggravating to find after a CD for a distro has been burnt, that it's intended for use as a Rescue System or for Installation, and even more frustrating to learn that the Live System is non-functional, but intended to serve as 'eye candy' for the installed system.

          Very quickly gave up installing distros, used 'frugal install' instead. However releases kept coming so thick and fast, given up even on that. Now running, in the parlance here, 'always fresh' :) Thereby harkening back to the bad old days of computing, when a program could change itself, depending on the data input; when code could be treated as data and data treated as code. Always started with an empty (clean) machine, program was then loaded and executed, being fed data which it processed. At the end of the run it vanished, and another program took its place in the 'empty' machine. In the same way each distro iso is unalterable, being RO, and can be regarded as an enormous (separate) program, which at the end of the run vanishes from memory, and is replaced in the 'empty' machine by another distro, a very clear illustration of which would be iso running in ram. Depending on input to this program, data can be loaded (modules from disk or repository), which it then regards as code thereby altering itself (module install). ;) By always starting with a clean machine, data is no longer encapsulated within a distro, and the data processed by other programs(isos) remains freely accessible globally to every other program(iso).
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          brokenman
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          Re: Contribution: New User Feedback Request

          Post#2 by brokenman » 03 Jul 2014, 01:33

          Firat of all welcome to the Porteus community. I hope you enjoy the distro.
          Neither search for USM on website nor on forum turned up anything.
          Unfortunately the forum doesn't react to three letter searches. USM (Unified slackware package manager) was written primarily for slackware and is used by Porteus as a package manager. It should be referred to as PPM (Porteus Package Manager) within the forum. I will edit the application to only use this name when run under Porteus for future releases.
          As veteran of good handful of Linux distros, miss a forum 'Software & Applications' section
          As Porteus allows the use of 5 different desktops we have tried to divide the forums into these categories instead. Any problems you have should be posted under the appropriate desktop. The reasoning is that the application could be reacting to the environment in which it is being run. For example abiword could be flunking because of a desktop specific problem. I have to say this forum topic division into desktops (my idea) is not really being used as I planned so perhaps we should look at modifying it again.
          Perhaps a Documentation Page holding some Sections:
          Module Management
          Module Structure
          http://www.porteus.org/info/category/9-modules.html

          These don't go into all the detail that you mentioned but will be a good start until I can get around to creating some more documentation. There is a lot to do on my list but I will eventually get around to it (unless someone else wants to help out)

          Package Management
          This is solely the realm of PPM and not a lot of documentation exists on it apart from the sourceforge wiki. Again it is on my TODO list.
          http://sourceforge.net/p/usm/wiki/Home/
          Well, those are my first thoughts and expectations before it all leaves my mind when I immerse myself in the nitty-gritty of it all.
          And it is much appreciated.
          How do i become super user?
          Wear your underpants on the outside and put on a cape.

          Bogomips
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          Re: Contribution: New User Feedback Request

          Post#3 by Bogomips » 04 Jul 2014, 22:53

          brokenman wrote:There is a lot to do on my list but I will eventually get around to it (unless someone else wants to help out)
          Promising distro. Possibility later will be able to fill in the blanks, circumstances allowing, when I have learnt the ropes ;)
          Last edited by Bogomips on 05 Jul 2014, 20:05, edited 1 time in total.
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          Re: Contribution: New User Feedback Request

          Post#4 by francois » 05 Jul 2014, 12:56

          Welcome on porteus forum bogomips. I hope you will appreciate your experience.

          Neither search for USM on website nor on forum turned up anything.

          Google with the appropriate keywords will provide you with some answers on porteus that the forum search function will not provide. In fact, google does really a better job for searching porteus information. Thus with google and porteus usm keywords, you get:
          https://www.google.ca/search?q=porteus+ ... 1&ie=UTF-8

          In addition, as porteus is a small linux distribution, amongst other membership wise, and as linux is linux and as slackware is slackware, you might find answers on threads outside of the porteus forum. Sorry for that inconvenient.
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          Re: Contribution: New User Feedback Request

          Post#5 by Bogomips » 05 Jul 2014, 20:26

          francois wrote:Welcome on porteus forum bogomips. I hope you will appreciate your experience.
          Thanks, francois. It looks like being a good one. For early days, that GUI PPM/USM working sufficiently well for one to not be bothered by detail, and allowing to get bigger picture.

          As I'm going along, I'm running in ram and trying to tune the system to my needs. Pleased to have VLC & VLC Plugin going without too much overhead. As for Java, it's another question. Worked perfectly well yesterday, but today ends up looping. Looks like will have to resort to that recommended JavaBuilder. Hope VLC will still be working tomorrow. :roll:
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          Re: Contribution: New User Feedback Request

          Post#6 by francois » 06 Jul 2014, 10:04

          On slackware or porteus, once installed the packages usually function with fidelity. I never had problems with java or vlc. Sorry to hear that. :(
          Prendre son temps, profiter de celui qui passe.

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