|
Description
IDEA:
Improve installation partition manager to make it more user friendly.
RATIONALISATION:
The only main barrier which a novice/intermediate user faces when installing Ubuntu, is the rather daunting partition manager.
If a novice user attempts to install a dual-boot set up, and ends up deleting their Windows (or other familiar operating system) and data, then it will possibly deter them from switching to Ubuntu (and Linux in general) for good.
Equally, the intermediate user may err on the side of caution and under-allocate Ubuntu space on an existing drive.
SOLUTION:
Extend the existing partitioner to make it easier to use by adding 2 main features...
1)Add an intuitive GUI which provides a graphical map of the physical layout of drives on the computer.
e.g. Something like this... http://www.forensic-psychology-forum.co.uk/partitioner.jpg
2)Add 'Help' suggestions for new users.
Attachments
No attachments.
Duplicates
Comments
|
Ssdg wrote on the 14 Jul 08 at 18:44
|
And why not promoting wuby? it's better for new users, so they don't have to modify their partitions.
-1.
|
|
kdm wrote on the 14 Jul 08 at 19:00
|
True, wubi deserves alot more credit it is a fantastic tool for beginners. However, it has its drawbacks for long-term use...
e.g.
* Hibernation is not supported. [1]
* Wubi filesystem is more vulnerable to hard reboots (unplugging the power) than a normal filesystem.[1]
* Since Wubi installs Ubuntu on the same file partition as Windows, Ubuntu may see a slight degradation in performance over time due to FAT32/NTFS file fragmentation - although granted this could be alleviated via defragging the disk.
[Quoted directly from Wubi's own Wiki]
|
|
ampers wrote on the 14 Jul 08 at 19:37
|
1)Add an intuitive GUI which provides a graphical map of the physical layout of drives on the computer.
Yes, I have a copy of the "Acronis Disk Director Boot Disk" that does just that. Terrific program and has got me out of heaps of messes.
|
|
Vadim P. wrote on the 14 Jul 08 at 21:26
| |
Heh, -1 because a simple bar graph they have right now is way more intuitive and simple than the thing you provided.
|
|
kdm wrote on the 14 Jul 08 at 21:37
|
"Heh, -1 because a simple bar graph they have right now is way more intuitive and simple than the thing you provided. "
I don't think it would take too much work to keep the existing 'size bars' as an option - It would be a matter of personal choice which you use, but as a new Ubuntu user, I find the existing bars unnecessarily complicated !
|
|
aelfwyne wrote on the 15 Jul 08 at 00:36
|
As a pretty experienced user in other OS and a dabbler in Linux since I downloaded it on floppy disks at the university lab in 1994, I recognize the partition tool is much better than it once was.
However - I recently got stumped trying to figure out a ubuntu install on my main desktop.
Problem - I have 5 hard disks. 3 on SATA and 2 on PATA.
In windows: I cleared off 2 partitions on one of my drives.
In ubuntu installer (not wubi): I couldn't which drive needed repartitioned. ubuntu wanted to wipe my windows drive by default (d'oh), and obviously this needed changed. But not knowing which /dev ID corresponded to the drive I wanted to delete, I was stuck. uBuntu did not show the name of the hard drives as reported by BIOS, nor did it show the partition names from the partition table. Either would have solved my problem, but instead I was left with 5 drives and 11 partitions to pick which I needed to clear from - and no real way to recognize what was where.
So two tips I think are good:
1) Show partition names from Windows if present. I know Linux doesn't do partition names, but both OSX and Windows do, and it can be very useful in not deleting valuable data by mistake.
2) Show BIOS reported names of hard drives.
3) Don't just pick the first partition to overwrite. Apply some intelligence. Already if it sees a section of a drive that is unpartitioned, I think it selects that. But if there's nothing unpartitioned, it just picks the first partition on the first drive - which is the MOST likely to be another OS. Instead: Scan drives, if partitions exist that does NOT contain another OS, select the one with the highest percentage of free space as the one to overwrite.
|
|
Tree MendUs wrote on the 15 Jul 08 at 04:39
|
Let's look at the fundamental problem ;
"If a novice user attempts to install a dual-boot set up, and ends up DELETING THEIR WINDOWS (or OTHER familiar operating system) and data, then it will possibly deter them from switching to Ubuntu (and Linux in general) for good."
Therefore fundamental solution achieve the avoidance of this problem. It doesn't matter how user friendly it is, what it needs is NO CHANCE that some OSes will be deleted.
(note - User Friendly features are always good to have, because they tend to reduce the risk of error)
What we are looking for is "fail safe", which is not quite the same as "easy chance of success".
Redefining the Solution;
Idea;
Need a process that ensures that the user does NOT LOOSE some OSes already on their PC.
So partitions with these OSes on need to be identified, and either left totally alone, or shrunk (after warning message to ensure defragmentation has been done).
Now for some possibilities of "how to" obtain a "method";
1) The partitioner can recognize the "format" of a partition file structure. There is a correlation between fat32, fat16, ntfs and resident operating systems.
So there is one form of protection.
2) The partitioner can recognize the partition size, used space, and free space. So if this data is collected in windows beforehand, then it can help show which partitions as seen in linux, house windows.
I have used both of these methods (separately and together) to do installs of Ubuntu on ext3, alongside FreeDOS, and small linux distros with ext2.
All that needs to be done is to allow the user to find and enter the partition details as easily and automatically as possible, and the partitioner then prevented from shrinking those partitions smaller than 110% (say) of their currently used space. (all the remaining un-used space is available for installation).
|
|
noodlesgc wrote on the 16 Jul 08 at 13:02
| |
404 on the link
|
|
kdm wrote on the 16 Jul 08 at 20:55
|
"404 on the link "
Sorry fixed now !
|
|
kvelandia wrote on the 17 Jul 08 at 21:32
|
This is indeed an issue that needs to be addressed.
It was one of the reasons why it took me so long to install Ubuntu.
I had to turn to a friend far more experienced than me.
Tha graphic partition tool with information about the presence of other OS sounds like a great idea to me
|
Post your comment
|
