Hello,<br>
<br>
First post to the list so hello to everyone involved in the project.
Totally agree with the push for 'normal' users. A lot of FOSS projects
cater for the non 'enthusiast' user as an afterthought and the results
are often a bit unsatisfactory. Initially build for the lowest common
denominator. Keep it simple. Even things like the wiki have to hook in the interested but non techie passer by.<br><br>Need a 'five reasons why you should care' page (if there isn't something similar already).<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
<br>
Ian<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 15 March 2011 17:55, Boaz <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:alt.boaz@gmail.com">alt.boaz@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
Thomas:<br>
<div class="im"><br>
>Suppose I want to make a bulk purchase of a whopping<br>
>500 of of these, load 'em up with freedombox<br>
>pre-installs and sell 'em -- in my town among friends<br>
>and family and such, for now.<br>
><br>
>And I want all this to go down 11 months from today.<br>
><br>
</div><div class="im">>So I don't care for that short a time frame about<br>
>booting in the most hostile environments because I'm<br>
>pretty sure I can't ship any of the hardware to<br>
>such environments nevermind support the software there<br>
</div><div class="im">>just yet. I want to ship to less hostile environments<br>
>first to kind of get the juices flowing... to get<br>
>to a point where honest to gosh users (however unexciting<br>
>they are compared to active revolutionaries) are spending<br>
>money on freedombox technology, and that money is feeding<br>
>back into development.<br>
><br>
>Real, real simple. I want to give one to my cousin-in-law<br>
>to use for their blogging of their kids progress as she<br>
>enters first grade.... that kind of thing.<br>
<br>
</div>I completely agree. We will get the freedom box into the hands of<br>
active revolutionaries in time. But for our ambitions of quick<br>
release, if at any point we find that it will be quicker to get it<br>
ready for unexciting normal boring users in normal times, let's go<br>
that direction for now. It will aid in protecting freedom in their<br>
hands too, and will as you say "get the juices flowing".<br>
<br>
Jonas:<br>
<div class="im"><br>
>On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 07:03:23PM -0700, Thomas Lord wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> Opinions and speculations requested, please.<br>
>> What is our group vision about this:<br>
>><br>
>> I mail off a headless freedombox to some non-hacker<br>
>> friend (who, let's assume, has a computer<br>
>> and Internet connection at home already, but<br>
>> who isn't a sysadmin or anything close).<br>
>><br>
>> He opens it up. Plugs it in / turns it<br>
>> on. The package, I hope, has one page of<br>
>> instructions about how to configure the<br>
>> freedombox and start using it.<br>
>><br>
>> What does the process look like?<br>
>><br>
>> Does my friend have to have wifi?<br>
>> Or a spare ethernet cable and a router<br>
>> with a spare slot? What if his wifi<br>
>> is password protected? Does he<br>
>> telnet to the box? Use a web browser?<br>
>> Or does it include a (possibly tiny, minimal)<br>
>> display and my friend is supposed to plug<br>
>> in a keyboard?<br>
>><br>
>> What is a realistic and desirable "vision"<br>
>> for the "first 10 minutes" experience?<br>
><br>
><br>
</div><div><div></div><div class="h5">>I imagine something like this:<br>
><br>
><br>
> * Initiate personalization mode in one of these ways:<br>
> a) Plug a USB keyboard into the box while turned off.<br>
> Turn box on, and when light changes to slowly blinking<br>
> (approx. 1 minut) type in a temporary passphrase (yes,<br>
> blindly, there is no screen) and unplug the keyboard.<br>
> b) Hold down reset button for 5 seconds while turned off.<br>
> Turn box on while keeping down reset button, and when<br>
> light changes to slowly blinking (approx. 1 minut)<br>
> release the reset button.<br>
> * Notice how light blinks double now, indicating pairing mode.<br>
> If not then repeat above step.<br>
> * connect the box and your own computer one of these ways:<br>
> a) connect directly with an ethernet cable<br>
> b) connect directly with a USB cable - showing as a usb-net at<br>
> your computer<br>
> c) connect your own computer to wifi network "freedomnet"<br>
> offered by the box.<br>
> * connect to web address <a href="http://freedombox.local/" target="_blank">http://freedombox.local/</a> or connect to DLNA device "freedombox".<br>
> * Enter your passphrase (if using reset button, enter 1234).<br>
> * Select the Freedoms you want enabled, and select "OK".<br>
> * If your selection included personal freedoms then enter your<br>
> nickname (you can add more later), and save the WebID you<br>
> are then being given.<br>
> NB! Very important that you keep this WebID and keep it<br>
> private - it is your key to personal data on FreedomBox!<br>
<br>
</div></div>I imagine something more like this:<br>
<br>
1. First you install the freedom box interface software for the<br>
personal computer which you already have. It's packaged for your<br>
GNU/Linux distribution, or you can download it from the web for your<br>
Windows or Macintosh computer, or either way it came with the freedom<br>
box you bought on a CD or USB drive. Installing it from the web for<br>
Windows should be even easier than installing Mozilla Firefox from the<br>
web for Windows.<br>
<br>
2. Now you connect the freedom box directly to your computer with either:<br>
a) an ethernet cable<br>
b) a USB cable<br>
One of these two cables came with the freedom box when you bought it.<br>
Later in normal use you'll be able to interact with the freedom box<br>
over an encrypted wireless link.<br>
<br>
3. You click the icon for the freedom box interface which the<br>
installation process has conveniently automatically placed on your<br>
desk top (the same icon that you're going to click for the interface<br>
that you're going to use to interact with your freedom box in normal<br>
use).<br>
<br>
4. It walks you step by step through anything you might need to do,<br>
which is as little as possible. As Jonas has written, all services<br>
have sensible defaults and are ready to go, and any tuning is optional<br>
and can be done later (like, in an accessible and easy to use settings<br>
menu). The process should be as easy or easier than setting up a<br>
Facebook account.<br>
<br>
This might be ambitious, but it's what we need to get people to use<br>
the thing. Normal users do not tolerate hassle of any kind. Even all<br>
that stuff with the blinking lights and the reset button and so on<br>
will be viewed by users as an unacceptable pain in the neck.<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br>