Thank you for your suggestions Just17, your input is always appreciated (by me, at least)
A great project idea!
A few comments, if I may .....
1. Don't assume that all 'converts' to PCLOS are clueless in the matter of PCs.
It is one thing to supply information from the basics up, but please ensure there is sufficient information provided for those who might be termed 'advanced users' of their previous OS. Likely those users would not need 'hand-holding', but more a resource where they can find info on 'how to do XYZ in Linux'.
I'm not making this assumption. I was considered to be an advanced Windows user but when I had my first encounter with Linux, I was lost.
This series of articles will be targeting to users that are
new to Linux, whether they are novice or advanced PC users.
I agree that advanced PC users may know i.e. how to manage partitions but there are many more that don't.
I hope these articles can cover both.
2. Although I use KDE for the most part, I personally dislike references to 'alternate' DEs. It implies (at least to me) that the other DEs are somehow 'less' than KDE. Yes I know this is a small thing, but it is all about impressions conveyed by the wording.
How would you suggest mentioning all available DEs? I don't like the term "alternative" either, but, as English is not my native language, I'm sometimes lost for words...
3. As most Windows installs are capable these days of burning an ISO to optical media, and you will be providing names of free applications if the function is absent, it should also be pointed out that a LiveUSB can be created from such a Live optical media without the need for another application.
Some Windows users aren't even aware of that function (burning an iso to cd/dvd) so I guess I should mention that.
And the second part of your comment too...
4. Under the partitioning section I would like to see mention of Gparted and KDE Partition Manager as well as diskdrake available under PCC. Gparted is likely to be more 'familiar' to those from the MS side who might have previously use other partitioning tools.
GParted or KDE Partition Manager would have to be installed as extra in Live Session... But I think that would cover more options...
5. The section on running 'Live' might need to explain the difference between booting Windows from a USB drive and booting PCLOS from a USB drive ...... one is only an install media while the other is a full running OS which can ALSO be installed. This is something which a lot of people find difficult to grasp when they first meet with the idea.
That one goes to "Advantages" sub-section
6. Again for the more advanced user of a previous OS, I would suggest a section on utilities which gives them power ..... this could include small utilities and basic konsole commands to gather information about their PC and also to make changes.
Such might include details on MBR, partition table, command line utilities such as fdisk, sfdisk ..... dd command and others.
I think this will be covered (at least partially) in the section about PCLinuxOS Control Center, KDE System Settings (as menotu proposed) and in a separate article about the use of the Terminal.
My personal recollections include the fact that I was limited in a lot of ways in what I could do in Windows ....... BUT ..... the biggest limitation was in the lack of information about whay might be possible. Even though I knew I wanted to achieve something I did not have the info, nor could I find a means to do those things.
After moving to Linux, I was still lost with a lot of it, because I did not have the correct terminology to ask a meaningful question.
So, for me at least, what would have been useful, was a list of things that *could* be done, under separate headings, and done easily with the tools provided in the OS.
For instance I had no concept of how easy to install or versatile the Grub boot manager was.
... and that is just a very small part of PCLOS.
So an awareness of the possibilities is probably more important than anything else.
If that can be got across to the readers then they will have received information to allow them to search further for info on what interests them.
I understand what I have posted above is most likely not under consideration for the project, but I ask that you consider new users who know nothing of Linux terminology or commands or capabilities, but if they had the information, would be quite capable of digging in and learning quite quickly.
Providing 'teasers' for those new users should be sufficient to point them in the right direction.
I wish you the very best with this project.
It will not be an easy task.
regards.
Once again I want to thank you for your valuable input.
Of course you understand that this series of articles will cover only a small part of the Linux wonder (we would need a whole site otherwise).
It will be more like a stepping stone than a swiss-army knife.
And I know that it is a difficult task, that's why I will appreciate all the help I can receive.
Thank you for kind words also...
