Re: [gNewSense-users] ideas & suggestions about gNewSense

[Sam Geeraerts]

Torsten Behrens wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I am a gNewSense user, living in Northern Germany and for a few weeks now, I
> am also
> corresponding with Richard Stallman via email. I wrote Richard several of my
> ideas and
> suggestions for the future version(s) of gNewSense, because myself I am no
> computer
> expert at all -- I only do have basic knowledge, but not in programming nor
> editing the reps
> sources, etc.
> Maybe, you're also interested in my suggestions and ideas.
>
> Here are some things that should be preinstalled in gNewSense (in my view):
>
> - free graphic drivers support (for Nvidia or ATI). It's strange that EnvyNG
> is available for
> gNewSense, but I still have not found any solution(s) how to
> activate/install my Nvidia
> graphic driver with EnvyNG at gNewSense.
> - free GNU versions of the "Firefox 3" browser (i.e. IceCat) and also for
> "Thunderbird"
> (Icedove), because these browsers are more popular than Epiphany, or
> Evolution as
> default email program.
> - more free multimedia players, maybe a free GNU version of the popular VLC
> Media
> Player of a GNU alternative of the Gnome MPlayer, etc.
> - OpenJDK also should be preinstalled at gNewSense (or IcedTea with Open
> Java
> applets).
> - a free Flash Player (that also works!)
> - preinstalled free multimedia codecs (like Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, Musepack,
> etc.). For
> newbies at gNewSense it's very frustrating, confusing & irritating to
> install all these codecs,
> unless they knows what should be install and what not! Make things for
> newcomers a bit
> easier! Myself, I was sitting hours at my computer, to find out what (free)
> codecs I should
> install and which not.
> If all these things (above) are preinstalled at gNewSense's next edition(s),
> so I am quite
> sure that more and more people would switch to gNewSense. I am a great
> supporter of
> gNewSense and I like your philosophy of 100% free software, but remember
> that some
> things for newcomers -or people with little computer knowledge- are a bit
> too
> complicated. That's why some things really should be preinstalled to make
> things easier
> for people to use gNewSense. Make gNewSense as easy as "Linux Mint", but
> with 100%
> free software preinstalled, not with properitary softwares as in Linux Mint.
> That's my
> suggestion.
>
> Can you please also tell me when gNewSense's next edition will be released?
> I didn't find
> any information about the next edition on the gNewSense's website. I am
> curious to know!
> I hope that my email was kind of inspiration for you and your team.
>
> Thank you very much for listening.
>
> Torsten Behrens
Those are all great ideas and we have thought of most of them ourselves 
already. The reason they have not been implemented is lack of manpower. 
That is also why there hasn't been another major release to follow 
Intrepid yet. Word on the street is that we're aiming for the LTS releases.

You say that you have no programming or packaging skills, which are 
needed to implement your ideas. However, you don't need to be some kind 
of guru to help gNewSense move forward. There are lots of ways you can help:

* Learn packaging: the most recent Ubuntu Open Week session [1] is 
probably a good introduction. If you want to learn more I'm sure 
Ubuntu's MOTU team are willing to help. And some people around here also 
know a bit about that.

* Learn programming: Python is a very accessible language. Go through 
some of Dive Into Python [2] to see if that's your thing.

* If you're good with pencil and paper (or drawing tablet and canvas) 
you can help shape gNewSense's visual identity. Subscribe to the 
gNewSense-art mailing list and volunteer.

* If you're good with words documentation might be more interesting to 
you. Register on the wiki and start cleaning up that mess, even if it's 
just spell checking.

* If you have a basic understanding of the GPL and other free licenses 
and you can distinguish readable code from unreadable blobs you can help 
out with freedom verification. Download the kernel [3] and the Emacs 
helper script [4] and start verifying [5]. This sounds harder than it 
actually is.

* If you have good people skills, then advocacy or marketing is for you. 
Tell people about gNewSense and free software. Provide ideas to the rest 
of us on how to market gNewSense. Give the artwork team ideas for more 
pretty pictures. Lobby inside the Ubuntu community to make things easier 
for us. Write/podcast/sing/mime about gNS.

* Translate the website and set up a community in your language.

* Provide feedback to what other people are doing. Not only on the 
mailing list, but also on IRC or in the forum. Help them improve their 
work and let them know it's appreciated.

* Know of all these ways to help (and more [6]) and try to attract more 
contributors. Any help is very much appreciated.

[1] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/openweekintrepid/Packaging
[2] http://diveintopython.org/
[3] http://wiki.gnewsense.org/Kernel/Image
[4] http://wiki.gnewsense.org/Kernel/Kfv-script
[5] http://wiki.gnewsense.org/Kernel/DocumentingYourWork
[6] http://wiki.gnewsense.org/Main/HowToHelp

Thanks for your comments, Torsten.

By the way, did RMS give you any feedback?

Regards,

Samgee