Ideas for a "Quick Start" document

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Richard
Posts: 1577
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 10:31 am

Re: Ideas for a "Quick Start" document

#41 Post by Richard »

@HessenZone,
You have done a very good job of making MX Linux useful for Windows users new to Linux.
I think what you are doing is laudable.
I hope you will continue doing and sharing it.
MX Linux does not have to change to adapt to you, you are adapting MX to your needs.

That said, MX Linux tends toward incremental refinements, generally.
I'm sure some of your refinements will make it into MX.
MX is not and I do not believe ever will nor need to be
a newbie distro.
Thinkpad T430 & Dell Latitude E7450, both with MX-21.3.1
kernal 5.10.0-26-amd64 x86_64; Xfce-4.18.0; 8 GB RAM
Intel Core i5-3380M, Graphics, Audio, Video; & SSDs.

skidoo
Posts: 753
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2015 6:56 pm

Re: Ideas for a "Quick Start" document

#42 Post by skidoo »

We want to develop a document that would link off MX Welcome (alongside the new FAQs) that would guide the new user through the 10-12 most common procedures users carry out after installation, and are looking for Community help to come up with a list.
Regardless of its curated content, adding a (another) new static document won't do much to advance the status quo.

Let's take a visual stroll...

Image

v---- note the evolution of the Mint welcome device, across versions:
Image
Image
Image

gitlab.com/linuxlite/[...]usr/bin/lite-welcome
licensed GPL v3 (and no "branding" copyright is emblazoned within the GUI)
is not "just a document viewer" ~~ embedded hyperlinks can launch programs, execute commands
localization strings can be easily managed, collaboratively (pairs of json strings, edit in place at gitlab/github, via browser UI)
flexible delivery of content (via deb pkg update) adjust hierarchy, add content nodes, revise content

Image

video: Linux Lite 4.0 - Review & Critique - Disservice To New Users (cannot please everyone)
related point: As critically mentioned in the LL review video, a UI chock full of odd-named, custom, in-house tools
accompanied by arbitrary icons and minimal descriptions... does not serve a welcoming presentation.

[ placeholder: screenshot of MX Tools UI ]


a generic list of getting-settled-in tasks:
-- install drivers (DisplayLink drivers for USB docking station)
-- find-n-use GRUB Customizer ~~~ related: Get information n details (UUID) about HD/SSD partitions
-- adjust newtork connection(s)
-- pairup bluetooth devices
-- adjust mouse/trackpad/TrackPoint speed n sensitivity
-- understand pre-installed apps (goofy linux names vs function/purpose of each) and find installable alternative apps
-- adjust brightness, colors, theming, fonts (? HiDPI scaling ...panel layout h/v)
-- check n adjust sound

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Jerry3904
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Re: Ideas for a "Quick Start" document

#43 Post by Jerry3904 »

Good suggestions.

Yeah, Mint really gets the gorgeous visuals...
Production: 5.10, MX-23 Xfce, AMD FX-4130 Quad-Core, GeForce GT 630/PCIe/SSE2, 16 GB, SSD 120 GB, Data 1TB
Personal: Lenovo X1 Carbon with MX-23 Fluxbox and Windows 10
Other: Raspberry Pi 5 with MX-23 Xfce Raspberry Pi Respin

PPC
Posts: 362
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:22 am

Re: Ideas for a "Quick Start" document

#44 Post by PPC »

I'm a bit late to the thread (I just began using MX only last week):

Not really a quick start up file but a suggestion to ease new users comming from Windows:
Have a "install new software" link on the desktop.
Also move the Software part of the MX menu nearer to the top. I'm a long time Linux user, I've been using antiX for over a year and I kid you not that I stared at the screen for almost a minute before realizing where I had to click to install new software.

Also: rename "Package installer" to something more user friendly (btw: most of MX tools menu is not translated into my language (I could help with that) and that may cause even more confusion to non English speaking users.
Most windows users don't have a clue what packages are, but they do know what "App" "Applications", "Programs" or "Software" means...

Some presentation referring to what people talked in this thread before (what the drive and partition names mean, what a file manager is and how to edit a office document or play a video or music file and how to get on-line ... That covers about 90% of the more common uses to a PC.

Thanks to Valve's Steam Proton "revolution" you could add on the presentation/quick start file an entry about that Gaming (explaining how to install Steam and what a wine/proton is and that it's not 100% efficient running windows games on Linux and that that's not MX fault...)

P.

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Jerry3904
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Re: Ideas for a "Quick Start" document

#45 Post by Jerry3904 »

Good suggestions, thanks. On translation, please send a PM to Old Giza, who oversees that area--we'd be glad to have the help!
Production: 5.10, MX-23 Xfce, AMD FX-4130 Quad-Core, GeForce GT 630/PCIe/SSE2, 16 GB, SSD 120 GB, Data 1TB
Personal: Lenovo X1 Carbon with MX-23 Fluxbox and Windows 10
Other: Raspberry Pi 5 with MX-23 Xfce Raspberry Pi Respin

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oops
Posts: 1603
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Re: Ideas for a "Quick Start" document

#46 Post by oops »

FI: For "Quick Start" document, app, etc I now use synapse.
http://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.php?f=93&t=46226
Pour les nouveaux utilisateurs: Alt+F1 pour le manuel, ou FAQS, MX MANUEL, et Conseils Debian - Info. système “quick-system-info-mx” (QSI) ... Ici: System: MX-19_x64 & antiX19_x32

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colin_b
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Re: Ideas for a "Quick Start" document

#47 Post by colin_b »

I'm not sure whether this has been mentioned, so forgive me if I'm repeating this.

I think it would be sensible to mention the following from the manual:
SSDs
Increasingly, machines may have an internal SSD: a solid state drive that has no moving components. These drives tend to accumulate blocks of data that are no longer considered in use, slowing down this very fast drive. To prevent this from happening, MX Linux runs a TRIM operation on a weekly schedule that you can view by opening the file /etc/cron.weekly/fstrim-mx.

Zeh
Posts: 147
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:13 pm

Re: Ideas for a "Quick Start" document

#48 Post by Zeh »

Richard wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 1:22 pm MX is not and I do not believe ever will nor need to be
a newbie distro.
My feeling is that this is a bit contradictory with all the so easy to use tools the devs have came up with.
I even think that from the point of view of ease of use MX already is a newbie distro. To become a proper newbie distro MX would just need a sort of "Quick Start" document, as suggested, and a short introduction to Linux in general and to Debian in particular, since MX gets its foundations on both. Short info, though, probably best placed at the beginning of the Quick Start document. For instance, regarding Linux a short explanation of what are deamons and what they do, including for people to easily understand MX position regarding systemd stated in the manual (the position is clear, but I'm not so sure about the systemd "thing" - the fact that's a demon and what a demon is). Regarding Debian, some short info about packages and about the Debian "distro management system" (stable, testing, etc).
MXPI is very simple and intuitive to use, a typical newbie app IMO, but whoever comes from Windows directly to MX shouldn't be left without a very brief explanation of the repos matter.
I don't think it makes much sense to "chase people away" just for lack of some basic and quick start information readily available.

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Jerry3904
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Re: Ideas for a "Quick Start" document

#49 Post by Jerry3904 »

This is all in the Manual
Production: 5.10, MX-23 Xfce, AMD FX-4130 Quad-Core, GeForce GT 630/PCIe/SSE2, 16 GB, SSD 120 GB, Data 1TB
Personal: Lenovo X1 Carbon with MX-23 Fluxbox and Windows 10
Other: Raspberry Pi 5 with MX-23 Xfce Raspberry Pi Respin

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tascoast
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Re: Ideas for a "Quick Start" document

#50 Post by tascoast »

I've been working on this page the past few days (with ongoing editing and streamlining) bringing together many of the desktop and general tweaks that typically occur post-install. I'm sure there are a few others I've overlooked and will edit into the mix but for now, in somewhat incomplete form:
http://mxlinuxguide.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_64.html

I'll probably include a page index and revise images with the view to making a *gif slide show (animation) with captions when I run out of new tips.
Inspiron 15 5000-5593- (i7-1065G7) MX 19.2 AHS/MX-21//W10 - Lenovo ThinkCentre A58 4GBRAM (64-bit), MX-21/MX19/antiX19/Mint 19

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