ubuntu-advertising team mailing list archive

[Barry Drake <b.drake@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Those of you on the advertising list will know that Danté Ashton and I
have been trying to research easy entry into Ubuntu with the mindset of
the average Windows user.  Please consider helping with this research.
The aim is to pick a particular 'need' and to follow through whether
this need can be met under Ubuntu, how easily and how successfully.
This use should ideally be one that your Windows friend would have, and
preferably a need that you know little about.

First take a look at:
https://help.ubuntu.com/10.04/switching/C/applications-equivalents.html

This page may need revision, and certainly needs extending.

Rules for research: any necessary packages to be easily and quickly
installed without using the commandline.  The preference would be to use
the Ubuntu Software Centre.  If you have a way of meeting the need, but
this requires commandline or other methods, please submit this anyway -
Ubuntu could incorporate a simple workaround.  Any scripts or code you
write to make things work could be posted.  Stuff like that could easily
be part of a package and run on installation without the user being in
any way aware of the complexity.

When you have done the research, please report on how easy it was to
access the information and provide links if a good method is suggested
online somewhere.

So far, I have researched iPod and iTunes.  I have also explored
Logos/Libronix as a colleague has over £1000 worth of books in that
format.  I have to report that Ubuntu is not for him.  I have e-mailed
Logos and received a reply stating that at present they do not have
plans to support our platform.  The same was true of Mac until many many
Mac users complained to Logos!  A niche area, but maybe you'd like to
aid that cause?

I also did a webcam exercise with my sister.  The task was dead easy for
me - but incredibly daunting for my sister and it need not have been!
That one hardly wants any tweaking but it does need tweaking and
properly documenting.

Researching iTunes, I found an official Ubuntu document that said iTunes
would install under PlayOnLinux.  I tested this.  Only iTunes 10.6 can
be made to work, and it installs crippled.  The CD rip and burn
facilities don't work.  It is official policy that we do not include
methods based on Wine or any of its derivatives as these, however good,
are not for the Ubuntu newbie.

The result of the above is that iTunes can be perfectly replaced and
iPods work just fine under Ubuntu with several apps BUT the Apple
download store cannot be accessed.  Most of you knew that already - I
was working in the dark and discovered how hard it was to get
information  that a newbie could follow.

So - lay aside your geekiness for a time, imagine you're a newbie and
volunteer to research a particular need.  Please state the one you are
thinking of pursuing so we don't duplicate the effort.  If there's a
good response, maybe someone who has admin access to the Canonical or
Ubuntu website can set up a Wiki for us to report back on? 

Hope I'm not treading on any Canonical toes here ....  apologies in
advance if I am.

Regards,		Barry Drake.
-- 
What do you see when you use your Computer? Same old thing?
...There IS a Better Way!  Ubuntu!