[SLUG] Beginners class

[Stephen O'Neill]

john at johnallsopp.co.uk wrote:
> Choosing a distribution (go away, look into them, get a few, run the
> live distros)

I presume here we're pre-choosing a menu for them to select from?

I think we should just plump for one to be honest - probably Ubuntu 
seeing as Fedora's quite experimental. Although we'd need a backup I 
suppose in the case of insurmountable hardware issues (poor Lucy).

I don't think that involving the new person in that decision process 
would do anything other than confuse them.

> Installation issues: disc space/installing a new disc, dual booting or
> not, backing up your data, what software do you run atm and what do
> you need in future, compatible/incompatible hardware (go away and
> prepare your machine)

I think that this will be dealt with quite quickly, we'd need to get a 
list of hardware and *try* to assure ourselves that drivers exist but 
even with the best planning this can still go wrong.

Software should be nice and simple too - 95% of users use their machines 
for web/email/word processing/installing viruses for 99% of the time I 
reckon.

> Installation: granted this is three months later, but I'd defend that.

I reckon this is month two - month one we met them, got them to go away 
and make their hardward/software list, post it the group, we check our 
favoured distribution supports their needs so we have this in place for 
month two while they're still excited.

> Then on through setting up things like mp3/dvd, printers, any other
> issues people have, and demos of the most common software and what you
> can do with them. Make the programme last twelve months and then we
> just start all over again.

This could have been in month one too - maybe they needed this to 
convince them Linux was worth installing and then a refresher post install?

> There's also the issue of someone being my
> backup in case of illness or double-booking.

When I say "we", I'm being royal. I'll be long gone before this gets 
arranged. I think it's a good project though and I'll be staying on the 
lists.

Steve O

	
	
		
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