kamaraju kusumanchi wrote:
Rafi Gabzu wrote:
3.Since KDE wasn't installed I searched it in " Synaptic Package
Manager " , I got a long list with short descriptions , now I had to
understand what to install ....
Maybe you should mark somehow the basic/core/main packages in the "
Synaptic Package Manager " ?
KDE will not be installed by default because not all the people
running Debian would want KDE. Some would like Kde, some like Gnome,
some like xfce and there are plethora of other choices available. In
fact some dont even need a Desktop environment or a window manager
etc.,The idea is to give you a very 'small', 'basic' system that just
works. After that it is up to the user to install the software that he
wants.
In any case, installing KDE is as simple as, becoming root and
executing the command
apt-get install kde
I think he's expecting Synaptic to be a little more helpful; I just
installed it to see how it behaves, and when you search for "kde", it
finds the KDE section, but not the KDE metapackage. You can then scroll
through the KDE section and manually find the KDE metapackage, but
that's not at all intuitive for the newbie. What's worse is that the
description is not intuitive, talking about "official modules" and not
depending on development packages, etc; that's uninterpretable by a
newbie (I've got years of experience in Debian, and this description
doesn't tell me what the package is for!); it would be helpful if the
description said something like "if you want a basically complete KDE
system on your Debian, box, this package is all you need to install
(assuming you have X installed - installing the 'x-window-system'
package will take care of that part for you").
Rafi:
Unfortunately, telling this list what would make the beginner's
experience better may help you feel a little better about the whole
process, but because Debian is pieced together by hundreds (thousands?)
of individuals, there's not really a good way to tell "the Debian group"
how to improve the process; instead, you need to tell the individual
Debian developers/maintainers.
Often the Debian developers/maintainers will read postings like yours,
and be able to make improvements based on the suggestion, but a better
method would be for you to give these suggestions to the individual
developers/maintainers.
For example, if you'd like Synaptic do a better job of searching and
highlighting the phrase "kde" instead of merely highlighting the section
name of "kde", you'd want to let the developer(s) of Synaptic know this
request. The "Help/About" menu option within Synaptic should get you
some developers' names. (By the way, most Debianites find the
command-line tool "aptitude" to be more powerful (but not as pretty or
intuitive(?)) than the GUI-fied "Synaptic".)
Separate and apart from the Synaptic search issue is the issue of the
KDE package having a better explanation (as mentioned above). This
request would need to be sent to the maintainer of the KDE package. You
can find an email for the KDE package maintainer group by highlighting
the KDE package, then Properties, then Common.
Be aware that some developers/maintainers welcome unsolicited
suggestions; some don't. Some welcome direct email; some prefer you go
through a formal bug/wishlist process.
Of course, you would not know any of these things, being a newbie, so
making your post is probably the best way of exposing your ideas to the
people who can make things happen. Perhaps Debian needs a "clearing
house" email address where such suggestions could be made; a
"maintainer" of the clearing house could then route suggestions to the
various developers/maintainers. Unfortunately, this would require a lot
of work, and wouldn't be very fun/glamorous, so I doubt anyone would
volunteer to do it. (And Debian is all about volunteerism.)
--
Kent
--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
