I think the Ubuntu manual from the manual project (http://ubuntu-manual.org/) should be included with Ubuntu by default. It is extremely useful for new users and having it automatically on the desktop on first boot would be very helpful.

You know when you get a pesky error message? You know how you copy it, search the error message on Google, then find out how to fix it? Imagine you didn't need to because the error message already told you how to.

By making error messages editable (or at least a section of the message which says "Possible Solutions from the Ubuntu Community" ,or something like that, editable), it would do exactly that. After someone asks Ubuntu Forums how to fix their problem, they can edit that error messege or section, so that other members with identical problems would not need to waste their own time, as well as time from the other community members on the Ubuntu Forums (and other Linux-related forums)

The same idea could also be used during crashes of some programs which provide verbose details on how it crashed (for example, a program may provide details though the terminal, or through a log) below while you are asked to submit a crash report.

Finally, on error messages, there should also be a way to submit a question to the Ubuntu Forums (either a link to the Forums, or a text field with a "Submit" button) or search the error message on Google, so that in case the suggested fix doesn't work, or there simply isn't one yet, it is still easy to find a solution.

In an ideal world, there would never be any errors, and even if there was, developers would find a solution immediately, but that is simply not possible.

There probably isn't an easy way to implement it, but wouldn't it be worth it?

I'd like to see it made possible for the Ubuntu offline help and other documentation to have an paste-it note like ability.

Something along the lines of being able to add your own notes and guides to the Ubuntu help files for your own use and reference.

there should be more amt of documentation for the new user.

there should be more stepwise instructions for the various programs . prg like synaptic,desktop enchancements, themes installations etc....

becoz there are several other pplz who would like to use but cannot becoz of lack of documentation.

if you want any help then i will be ready to help you out.

I'm not new to software development - but am new to Ubuntu / open source distributed software methods.

Its already trivial to receive the source code for any given package using apt-get, and make a change to fix a problem others might be having.

Recently, after making such a change, I figured I may as well submit the fix so that others can benefit. About two hours later I gave up on this because I don't have time to deal with the seemingly infinite numbers of conflicting differing instructions on how to make patches / submit patches / edit debdiffs / etc.

Submitting a patch to a launchpad bug request should be as easy as getting the source was. Even if all it does is upload it to somewhere that someone who cares more about the process will see it.

Right now, even the documentation makes it overly complicated and puts too much responsibility on the average developer that can fix the problem but doesn't have the time or inclination to learn how to deal with quilt, bzr, debian patch make rules, creating accounts on various systems, uploading PGP keys, and the like. I think its crucial that the programmers who are disinterested in the process can still submit their fixes. Right now I can spend another hour or two trying to figure this out (and eventually understanding) or I can continue to get my real work done and forget it.

Examples of extremely discouraging "documentation" pages:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PackagingGuide/PatchSystems#Easy
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/HowToFix
Really? To submit a bug fix I'd have to understand Ubuntu Merge Proposals? Register GPG keys? Get sponsorship? What? Get used to using BZR? Consult the release schedule?

This could just be a documentation problem. There's probably a trivial way to do it - but the documentation available that shows up if you go looking makes the process look incredibly complicated. I'm sure someone will respond to this brainstorm topic with "its easy you just xxxxxx" but that's not the point here.

[....]

As suggested in the comments for Idea #1586, I am reposting this response as a new idea.

In the event that a new user, on a machine with Desktop Effects disabled, inadvertently causes the workspace to switch without knowing what they did, that user should be notified with a "Do not show this message again" dialog box that they have switched to a new workspace. The notification should then go on to explain how workspaces work and how to switch between them.

This would perhaps be part of a series of helpful tutorial messages that can either be shut off all at once or reset to "display all" in the System -> Preferences menu.

It should not be necessary to notify users on machines with Desktop Effects enabled, because the workspace transition is visually apparent. However, users who have Desktop Effects disabled (based on the decision made by the installer, not by the user) should see this message at least once.

I think that the menu of Ubuntu Help Center is very primitive in graphic aspect....I want to suggest several changes, with which Ubuntu Help Center become more friendly, intuitive and elegant.

po4a (po for anything) is great framework for documentation translation with gettext.
It's supporting nroff, pod, sgml, TeX / LaTeX, texinfo, xml and others format.

more details:
http://po4a.alioth.debian.org/man/man7/po4a.7.php

Launchpad already support po/pot format. So to implement this seems easy.

#Sorry for my English

We all know that Canonical sponsors free delivery of Ubuntu (Kubuntu) CDs for those who have no internet connection. And I think that most people who got these CDs are new to the world of Ubuntu. Based on these considerations, I suggest to create a small brochure (booklet) which will describe the main advantages and features of Ubuntu (Kubuntu), and will also be information on what can be done with Ubuntu (Kubuntu) operating system, and this booklet to include together with the CD.

I should very much like to see an applet which could be attached to the Ubuntu panels, which would allow you to click on any text in any program which is available at Launchpad, and translated it from a small pop-up box.

I use Launchpad a lot, and finding the phrase or word you want to translate can be a real hassle, so this would definitely be of great help.

Could this be done, and would it be viable? Would anyone else like to see this as well?