The Mission

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ecomoney
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The Mission

#1 Post by ecomoney »

Puppy Linux Mission Statement:

1. Puppy will easily install to USB, Zip or hard drive media
2. Booting from CD, Puppy will load totally into RAM so that the CD drive is then free for other purposes
3. Puppy will be extremely friendly for Linux newbies
4. Puppy will boot up and run extraordinarily fast
5. Puppy will have all the applications needed for daily use
6. Puppy will just work, no hassles
7. Puppy will breathe new life into old PCs

...the "will just work, no hassles" objective is a work-in-progress!



By Barry Kauler (founder of puppy linux), circa 2003



There is always lots of work and debate going on around the Puppy community, but Puppy Linux's mission remains constant....this should always be its first priority.



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Just what are the "applications needed for daily use"? How do we make it "extremely friendly for linux newbies"? what are the "hassles" we need to eliminate to make it "Just work"? How fast is "extraordinarily fast"? These are questions that need research to discover the answers.

The Seafarers Mission Cybercafe is a project to explore and discover what Puppy Linux's users require it to do, and how it needs to be designed to meet their needs. Its main aim is not to produce a version of puppy linux, or to meet a "commercial" need. Its aim is as a resource to provide feedback to the developers of Puppy Linux (and its derivitives) that they may produce a better Gnu/Linux distribution.

The Seafarers Centre itself is geographically located in the heart of the Docks at Immingham, North Lincolnshire, U.K. and holds the title of being the largest Sea Port by Tonnage in Britain. It is unique in its ability to provide feedback, as it attracts visitors from all over the world, not from just one particular small area. Therefore, the feedback it gathers for puppy Linux is applicable WORLDWIDE.

Image

It is staffed by a team of dedicated volunteers who are committed to assisting others in whatever way they can. They are informed about the aims of Linux, and in particular Puppy Linux. Although they have much experience in the practical running of a cybercafe for the benefit of the centres clients, they are new to the world of Open Source, and come to it with no predefined ideas of how things currently are....a perfect "blank slate" from which to discover how it needs to be in order to be of most use to most people.

Of course, Puppy Linux is also a free volunteer project. Its developers are free thinking individuals, often with their own ideas of how puppy should be. The feedback from, and resources of this research centre can be used by any of them who genuinely wish to produce something that will be of benefit to others around the world, not just to their own individual needs. Should you share this goal....

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Welcome to the Mission!

Woof Woof!

Issues Discovered

The following usability issues have been discovered through testing at The Mission....each issue is listed against the Mission objective number to which it applies.

Objective 3,6 - Graphic Setup is over-complex
The initial xorgwizard setup was found to be too intimidating and complex to new linux users. Defaults "just work" in the majority of cases, especially when the monitor type is detected. A proposed solution is here...

Objective 5 - Puppy is Lacking enough Communication/IM Apps
Increasingly, computers are being used as a communications tool. Puppy lacks dedicated applications for communicating via skype/msn/yahoo/facebook IM. No webcam drivers are installed by default on standard puppy either.

Objective 3, 6 - Accessing peripheral data
When inserting USB Pendrives, CD/DVD's Puppy does not prompt the user for actions to be taken (Open, View, Play, Copy etc). It assumes prior knowledge of Linux Mounting theory which linux newbies do not have, or knowledge of mounting tools such as pDrive/pMount/MUT. This issue is being addressed in part here...

Objective 3, 6 - Ethernet Connectivity
Puppy does not automatically recognise wired ethernet connections (by far the most common type) and connect like other OS's/Distros. It requires the user to be aware of and use the complex internet connection wizard. Opening a browser before this is completed gives "page cannot be displayed", with no explanation to the user as to what the problem may be, or how to remedy the situation. This is being addressed here...
Last edited by ecomoney on Tue 25 Aug 2009, 12:02, edited 2 times in total.
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01micko
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#2 Post by 01micko »

*yawn*... Rob, get on with the business of business. (Where's the video?)

Image

This piccy wouldn't be orchestrated of course. I'd rather sit in an old timber chair any day rather than a high back leather chair, of which there are four to choose.
Last edited by 01micko on Sat 18 Apr 2009, 15:03, edited 1 time in total.

raffy
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note

#3 Post by raffy »

Nice - and I note that you've retitled your topic on the seafarers' cybercafes:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=39321

Wish you the best in this endeavor.
Puppy user since Oct 2004. Want FreeOffice? [url=http://puppylinux.info/topic/freeoffice-2012-sfs]Get the sfs (English only)[/url].

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01micko
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#4 Post by 01micko »

Rob... be careful.. we have a bloke in Australia named Derryn Hinch.. (he's actually a Kiwi).... he specialises in shame...

(oh yeah, I did not produce an ICS program.... beyond my talent.... not ashamed)
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James C
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#5 Post by James C »

+1

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ecomoney
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#6 Post by ecomoney »

Thanks guys...I dearly am looking forward to getting to work on this. Bug reports and feedback are the lifeblood of any open source project...thats what makes it so good. This is just for gathering them though....its going to take some community will to actually get any of them implemented.

No the picture wasnt set up lol. The cafe at the moment only has very intermittent internet access. This is as a result of two things.

1. Its running windows XP

2. Its currently using wireless. Here is a pic from the room above with the wireless router.

Image

Can you see the ship through the windows? 9/10 times the radar from the ship jams the wireless signal!!! The guy in the pic had just come in, and was sitting at one of the few wired ones I believe.

The centre will have to go completely wired to get the netboot functionality...this is a freebie for them.

Derryn Hinch seems like a bloke thats learned a lot in life. I hope to make as many mistakes in mine, and to learn a lot more!

@ Raffy - Thank you raffy...yes. I want this thread to be about what we discover about Puppy's users from the Mission, rather than the long and technical details of how to netboot puppy from a Smoothwall box.
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droope
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#7 Post by droope »

Hey guys, give ecomoney a break, I think he is a valuable member of this community and his work shouldn't be taken for granted and should be thanked for.

Thank you for spreading the word.


Some people may say, hey, he does it for money. That may be right, but also programmers program because they want to, not because it's their moral duty, so its the same.


So let's finish it here, and listen to his ideas. It should be remembered, tho, that everyone has the exact same possibilities to fix what is broken as Whodo or Ttuuxx, it's just that they are willing and we aren't.

But in the bottom line, we shouldn't act as if resented to Ecomoney for something he did in the past... that's gone now. ¿Right?

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ecomoney
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#8 Post by ecomoney »

Thank you yes. In case anyone is wondering, yes, I am getting £400 in "expenses" for putting this system in....it will probably work out about 0.50p an hour! I will be offering some of it when it arrives to some of the people that helped me with the technical details of setting this up. The rest of it I will store for in case they Government send me on another of their "Training Schemes" and I must pay my own way for awhile (i.e. 13 weeks), or maybe even a deposit on a rented flat. It sure would be nice to have my own place. Thats not the reason Im doing this though.

Good idea about a video....one idea could be a live webcam to record (with their consent) new puppy users using puppy for the very first time. Im sure this would be a new experience for many puppy developers, and open their eyes to some of the things I have seen over the years. When it is set up, I will ask for a day to record videos and make a short film of several volunteers. Everbody's opinion is based on their own personal experience.
Puppy Linux's [url=http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=296352#296352]Mission[/url]

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droope
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#9 Post by droope »

ecomoney wrote:Thank you yes. In case anyone is wondering, yes, I am getting £400 in "expenses" for putting this system in....it will probably work out about 0.50p an hour! I will be offering some of it when it arrives to some of the people that helped me with the technical details of setting this up. The rest of it I will store for in case they Government send me on another of their "Training Schemes" and I must pay my own way for awhile (i.e. 13 weeks), or maybe even a deposit on a rented flat. It sure would be nice to have my own place. Thats not the reason Im doing this though.

Good idea about a video....one idea could be a live webcam to record (with their consent) new puppy users using puppy for the very first time. Im sure this would be a new experience for many puppy developers, and open their eyes to some of the things I have seen over the years. When it is set up, I will ask for a day to record videos and make a short film of several volunteers. Everbody's opinion is based on their own personal experience.
My suggestion, first tape them, and then ask for their consent. (as to avoid their shyness, and stuff),

Of course, if they say no, it's no. :)

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01micko
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#10 Post by 01micko »

Ok Rob... I would have sat in the comfy chair, that's all! :lol:

Good luck
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John Doe
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#11 Post by John Doe »

Maybe the person driving the BMW 323 could make a small donation to Barry.

That might help with the Mission.

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#12 Post by big_bass »

echomoney

good luck on your mission

just remember not to let
the stress of business

place demands on others
be creative and find
solutions


yes you must find the
solutions

we are all the masters of our
own destinies

all having different goals


big_bass

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ecomoney
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#13 Post by ecomoney »

droope wrote:My suggestion, first tape them, and then ask for their consent.
Half the worlds surveillance cameras are in Britain already! I would have to ask first.
John Doe wrote:Maybe the person driving the BMW 323 could make a small donation to Barry.

That might help with the Mission.
What BMW? Ive offered BarryK financial donations in the past (in better times) but he seemed more concerned with making his Distro successful... good feedback is worth more than money in that respect.

@Big Bass, I will bear that in mind and certainly go about the same things differently than I have.

We may all have different goals, but were all working towards the same "mission". Its better to please most of the people all of the time than some of the people all of it. Developers are more capable of tweaking puppy how they personally like it than "Linux newbs" are of switching from M$ Windows. Lets help them along with their eventual destinies too! Good developers are like any other good people...they help others not just themselves....change of sig methinks.

I would rather be like Derryn Hinch than this guy ;-)
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Aitch
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#14 Post by Aitch »

this guy's more entertaining

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA6h3f_bfYU&NR=1

Aitch :)

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ecomoney
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#15 Post by ecomoney »

Hehe, its one thing to mock something, and quite another to do better!

Judging by the current state of Windows with its bugs/security/hardware requirements, all that will be required will be a little more focus on the usability side. That requires developers to actually get out there in amongst people and find out what they want.

For those that dont want to do that...there is this project ;-)
Puppy Linux's [url=http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=296352#296352]Mission[/url]

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John Doe
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#16 Post by John Doe »

ecomoney wrote:
John Doe wrote:Maybe the person driving the BMW 323 could make a small donation to Barry.

That might help with the Mission.
What BMW?
Sorry. Upon closer examination it looks like you are correct. I thought the car to the left of the van was one.

The wheels, some parking lights missing and other things give it away.

I guess I've just got fine tuned hot rods on the mind. :-)

Best of wishes on your ventures.

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ecomoney
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#17 Post by ecomoney »

John, your sharp attention to detail and your readiness to admit to and rectify faults are exemplary!

Can you compile?
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#18 Post by John Doe »

ecomoney wrote:Can you compile?
compile what?

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ecomoney
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#19 Post by ecomoney »

Generally....we lack good compilers.

The cybercafe should have been installed today...however Ive put it off four days so I can take part in the bugfixing process of 4.2.1

I explained it to the management, and they were extremely understanding. This bodes good for the future.
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#20 Post by droope »

Why not use 4.1.2? :?

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