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Idea #11486: Welcome screen after fresh install

bug This idea is a duplicate of Idea #1819: Manuals and tutorials witha GUI-Driven Approach for Newbies..
Written by fd9_ the 24 Jul 08 at 15:55. Category: Accessibility. Related project: Nothing/Others. Status: New
Rationale
Ubuntu needs a simple "Welcome to Ubuntu" dialog after a fresh install that shows you all the common applications that come pre-installed, what they are for, and how I can find them. I don't want to have to go searching for them myself. I'm thinking something along the lines of:

Need a word processor? Use this app...
Need to browse the internet? Use this app...
Need to burn a CD? Use this app...
Want to listen to the radio? Use this app...
Need to organize your music collection? Use this app...

At the bare minimum, tell me about applications that are listed here: http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/804features/

The welcome screen should also tell me about the package manager, and how I can find and install new programs - at the bare minimum.

As it is now, new users to Ubuntu are left with a blank desktop and they have to find out how to do things themselves. A welcome screen will get them up and running faster and easier.
Tags: dialog welcome

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nsanz wrote on the 24 Jul 08 at 18:07
excellent idea, I remember my first look into Ubuntu, and was very confusing what to do to prove the new system and the "alternative" programs

DShepherd wrote on the 24 Jul 08 at 18:54
I like this idea. Experienced users can also find this very enjoyable... cause things change. Just give me a nice accessible close button.

+1

I think this is a duplicate though



zephyrcat wrote on the 24 Jul 08 at 20:57
How about making it an icon on the desktop instead of an annoying pop up?

Eldmannen wrote on the 24 Jul 08 at 21:28
If they need a Welcome screen, then perhaps what they really need is a brain.

Not everybody can be saved.
Don't dumb it down to the lowest common dominator.
* "If you move the mouse, the pointer on the screen moves!"
* "If you press a key on the keyboard, it gets inserted to the computer and displayed on the screen!"
* "Do not try to eat the computer."

aysiu (Brainstorm moderator) wrote on the 24 Jul 08 at 22:00
I have a better idea.

Have a tutorial during installation:
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/136/

The developers have already said "A slideshow during the installer is planned for 8.10"

A tutorial during installation is less annoying because it doesn't pop up at you. (Pop-ups are annoying, folks.) An installation takes about 20 minutes after you answer all the questions.

During that 20 minutes, an experienced user can walk away from the computer or fire up a web browser and do something else to cover up the tutorial.

Meanwhile, an inexperienced user can watch the slideshow, as she'd be waiting for it to install anyway.

No pop-up to close. The installation window goes away once the installation is done.

cheesehead (Brainstorm admin) wrote on the 25 Jul 08 at 00:25
Are the icons and other visual cues on the desktop and in the menus so unintuitive that we need to teach people what they mean?

Perhaps we need to use the existing visual cues better.

yztlyrn wrote on the 25 Jul 08 at 15:41
How about a web based tutorial set as the default in Firefox. Have it load on first boot. This website can be customized and updated at will and therefore never be out of date.

Ubun2ideas wrote on the 25 Jul 08 at 18:23
Yes. I distinctly remember thinking 'Now what?' after completing my first Ubuntu install, as I was left staring blankly into that caramel swirl wallpaper. +1

To share, I've long had the idea of somehow integrating a wiki into the system - kind of like taking the concept behind manpages (a localized reference for navigating the system) and bringing it into the 21st century, but for the average desktop user. Give the users a general reference covering common tasks and answering FAQ's in a simple to understand format. Being a wiki, it can be added to by anyone. Perhaps there's known trouble spots in the system (as there always is, especially in the first weeks of a new release) that a new user wouldn't be aware of. That could be added into the wiki somehow. Maybe we could use something like Google gears so that users with slow or infrequent internet connections would always have a localized copy of the latest entries?

coolaj86 wrote on the 26 Jul 08 at 17:57
I gave this a +1 only because I figure it will get merged with the tutorial during install idea.

I HATE the windows "Welcome to Windows. I want to annoy you every step of the way. How would you like to be annoyed? Animation? HTML?"

cookieofdoom wrote on the 26 Jul 08 at 18:29
Welcome screens can be annoying to experienced users, but are practically necessary for inexperienced ones. If you implement this make sure that it is very easy to turn off. Perhaps even have an option to disable it in the installer?

Desktop icon also works, IMHO. You can even use gnome to enlarge the icon.

zelrikriando wrote on the 27 Jul 08 at 05:01
I see more like a 'guide' or some moving widget that points to the right thing. Not an actual boring window. This 'Guide' (who can look like Tux while I am thinking about it) could be simply called via some easy to access shortcut (right click -> Launch Guide, for instance)

wolfie2x wrote on the 27 Jul 08 at 06:05
Eldmannen: "If they need a Welcome screen, then perhaps what they really need is a brain."..
so all the people who have commented here saying they stared at the blank screen after the first boot are brainless, and you are the smart guy!??

+1 for this.

However, it shouldn't be obtrusive or annoying (like the Windows intro). A small balloon on the taskbar saying "Get Started on Ubuntu", which the user can click if he wants to bring on the tutorial, would be sufficient.

And it might be better not to totally rely on the internet connectivity; it took me 2 weeks before I got my ADSL modem working and connected to the internet. ;)


bademeister wrote on the 27 Jul 08 at 18:35
Yes, I completely agree with Eldmannen. I personally think that we should go back to console only. A graphical interface? Come on, I really shouldn't be on linux, should I?

No, for real, I distinctively remember the "now what??" feeling after having installed ubuntu for the first time about 3 months ago. Especially figuring out how to install applications took me some time. Now I absolutely love ubuntu and would never go back to windows, but the first week was rough.

So besides a "Welcome to Ubuntu"-thing that should be as unannoying as possible (wholehartedly agree with coolaj86), I would also like to have a "how to do more for non-idiots not familiar with linux"-intro available or the like (maybe a link on the desktop or something - no pop up). For example it took me about a month until I found out about the Alt+F2 program launcher.


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