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Contributor zbraniecki on the Installation category

Create an after installation wizard for optional extras and settings  
Written by _sebastian_ the 17 Jan 09 at 02:23. Related project: Live CD installer. New
I had this idea when suggesting solution 2 for idea 17381.

Although the standard live CD installation comes with good common settings many users will go and do multiple changes after installation to feel more at home.

I assume many will do changes to package repositories, desktop theme, wallpaper, install additional software, fonts, widgets/desklets, set up IM, weather applet and many more...

I'm thinking not about all the skilled linux geeks, professionals and semi professionals who know how to do all this. This should help the real novice users, migrating from other Linux flavors or Windows/OSX. By 'real novice users' I mean the ones that know so little it is hard to imagine and they really don't want to know more. For them it is: Computer = internet, email, print letters, watch pictures.
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Solution #1: after first login wizard to customise installation
Written by _sebastian_ the 17 Jan 09 at 02:23.
How about a wizard (I think thats the right name according to gnome conventions...) which is run after first boot/login after installation.

This wizard could be a simple link hub to how-tos or a fully featured program (front end,gui) to do one or more of the following:

- install additional
-- fonts (for office)
-- cliparts
-- themes
- install programs
- add repositories
- set location for weather applet
- setup or migrate
-- IM profiles
-- users
-- network shares
-- ntp
-- WLAN (WEP2)
-- printer

and many more
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Solution #2: Autodetect what can be detected
Written by cheesehead the 17 Jan 09 at 14:20.
The system should figure out (or make a clever guess at) weather locations, ntp server, local network, internet access, printer, etc. instead of pestering non-technical users with technical questions.
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Solution #3: show "About Me" dialogue on first log in
Written by _sebastian_ the 20 Feb 09 at 09:41.
Many good things could be linked with the information provided in the about me field, see idea 15083 for a few examples.

To make the "about me" more widely used it could be opened on first log in.
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Solution #4: Dialog box should ask if you want to install proprietary software
Written by Klau3 the 2 May 09 at 12:23.
First time Ubuntu boots a Dialog box should show up and ask the user if he would like to install proprietary software. If the decision was yes, these points should aper:

Install:
[ ] Microsoft fonts (Times New Roman...)
[ ] Video Codecs
[ ] Audio Codecs (including LAME)
[ ] Flash Player
[ ] Video Card driver

Average new users don't understand how to get these things working. My suggestion could prevent frustration and save time.

Maybe the pop up box could contain more informations like - “New to Ubuntu learn more etc.”....
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Solution #5: Out-of-box typical proprietary stuff, with easy removal options
Written by cyberix the 18 May 09 at 16:27.
I realize there is a problem with proprietary stuff, but the current direction seems scary too. Are we really going to offer the user a menu titled "The cool proprietary things that free software cannot provide you". This way we teach him to love those components over most of the system.

Maybe we should just automatically install the binary crap and make a menu titled "Evil stuff required to enable things" with easy removal options. And then warn the user that his system might break, if he removed the proprietary stuff as the monopolists wouldn't want him to do that.
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Solution #6: #1, #4 But during installation
Written by Svargref the 9 Feb 10 at 19:00.
To save time, configure the system during installation

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Solution #7: Kind of all over the place
Written by fractalorangejuice the 5 May 10 at 23:51.
A default screen resolution option during the installation would be nice. Sometimes when a lcd screen has a weird resolution like 1400 x 1050 it won't work at 800 x 600. Maybe a quick question before the GUI starts would be useful as a standard. Or a "Screen Resolution problems?" option at start up might be a good idea.

Once you have flagged the software/options/settings you want just prior to the partition stage a save installer settings to a flash drive option would save so much time.

A settings backup to a server for automatic re installation would be super cool.
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Solution #8: Option for complete removal with the files it has created
Written by Oxwivi the 20 Oct 10 at 11:57.
When a program is chosen to be uninstalled, the user should be asked to if they want to just uninstall the program or completely remove it along with any extra files it has created.

Synaptic Package Manager should have this ability as well, attached to the complete removal option.

I've found using 'apt-get purge' get rids of the problem. Integrating the purge property in graphical package managers would be very useful.
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Solution #9: Make difference between system configuration & user account configuration
Written by Lube the 8 Mar 11 at 19:37.
I'd like to see 2 separate programs:

1. More configuration during installation.
(network, proprietary stuff, add repositories, printer, etc)

2. User Account configuration after first login into a new account (including after installation).
(mail, IM, firefox, etc)
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Solution #10: Itelligent post installation wizard
Written by Egarretsen the 16 Aug 12 at 14:04.
Adapt the "installer design specification" and add a "post-installation wizard / first run wizard". This could be used to postpone actions wich the user does not want to do directly on installing or are not possible to do directly on installing.

This way the user can choose wether they want to invest more time at installation to pre configure the system, or choose to postpone some actions to the "post installation wizard".

Some possible usage scenarios of where a "post installation wizard" would be useful:

Scenario 1:
User wants to Install from sync, but password is stored in a password manager he or she cannot access just yet. Or the user forgot the password and can use the normal way of retreiving the password after install and provide it to the "post installation wizard".

Scenario 2:
User just wants to install quickly and postpones some installer options. The "post installation wizard" will notice this an will provide a way to do this at a later time when Ubuntu is already installed.

Scenario 3:
After installation in the future options could be provided to sync programm settings like: e-mailsettings, social-media settings, chat settings, .... Without having to alter the installation process

Scenario 4:
Detecting all kinds of network attached devices like printers, scanners, NAS'es

Scenario 5:
Provide a way to introduce user to services like Ubuntu one if user is not already on it and help with signing up, same for software center account

Scenario 6:
We thank you for installing Ubuntu and we would like to ask you to contribute to the community by testing your system (this will also benefit the user itself for bugs will be reported to friendly.ubuntu.com) and if the user wants to do this run system-testing. Also a option could be provided in system-testing to report non working parts of the computer (for example i have a button on my Asus N56vm which is a quick-launcher in windows, this does not work in ubuntu, but it is nice for friendly.ubuntu.com to know an possibly create a bug-report automatically in launchpad.

Scenario 7:
More info about the way the community works and emphasize that everyone can contribute. Explain the ways the users can contribute like translating, reporting bugs, write code, spreading the word, etc.

Scenario 8:

Also for suggesting restricted drivers, additional drivers. It would be nice if friendly.ubuntu.com would contain a list of all computers known to ubuntu and wether some functionality requires additional packages. If an admin confirms that a certain type of notebook / configuration requires extra drivers this could be communicated to the wizard and these packages could be installed automatically with one click by user in "post install wizard".


I think some of these things are not suitable in the installer, but are useful in a "Post installation wizard" which the user can run at the time he or she chooses. It could for example contain the options "Remind me later" and "skip this wizard".

Some difficult choices during installation can be postponed

See the 5 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 2 Feb 10 at 20:10) >>

Copy standard MS fonts from Windows installation  
Written by idd the 28 Feb 08 at 21:26. Global category: Installation. New
If the Ubuntu installer detects Windows, it should copy Arial, Verdana and other standard Windows fonts into Ubuntu, because the user has the license to use them.
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Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #223
Written by idd the 28 Feb 08 at 21:26.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #223 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!
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Solution #2: Don't copy them. Just create symlinks
Written by Endolith the 15 Sep 09 at 02:05.
This avoids any copyright problems and doesn't waste disk space.

See the 21 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 15 Sep 09 at 02:10) >>

Install PulseAudio by default  
Written by develvic the 1 Mar 08 at 11:24. Global category: Installation. Implemented
6
votes
implemented
Selected solution (#1): Auto-generated solution of idea #2122
Written by develvic the 1 Mar 08 at 11:24.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #2122 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

See the 7 comments or propose a solution >>