Debian Welcome Screen?

[VentGrey]

(This is merely a suggestion, mostly for us daily desktop users)
Navigating through other distros I noticed that a lot of distros have a beloved "welcome screen" one of them being Linux Mint or most of those Ubuntu Derivatives, but it came to my attention that even this came to a "new" spin called Devuan (im not touching the whole systemd thing because it will cause a lot of unecessary bablbing ), seeing this in Devuan https://git.devuan.org/nioanto/devuanwelcome makes me think maybe the Debian Desktop team sould consider maybe a little to add those kinds of little "thingies" for the users. Now do not get me wrong, Debian is awesome and I do not pretend to say their derivatives are superior or so, but maybe Debian Desktop users can get a little more pimped, like showing off "Hey im using Debian, it is cool".

What are your thoughts on this?

[Head_on_a_Stick]

What are your thoughts on this?

I don't like the idea, Debian is for competent users and needs no such frivolities, IMO.

Plenty of Debian derivatives offer this sort of thing anyway, as you note.

[debiman]

What are your thoughts on this?

it might admittedly be useful the first time a newb logs into a fresh install.
it's probably not much work to throw something together with python-gtk or so.
suggestion:
you do it!

[kedaha]

I've installed and configured Debian desktop systems for relatives & friends —which has earned me quite a few beers— and customarily set up plymouth so they don't see the startup gobbledygook when they switch on their computers.
I see no objection to such user-friendly "thingies" as a "Debian Welcome Screen" providing they're optional and not included by default.
A Debian desktop system —userland— can be used easily and competently by users who have no idea of command line stuff.

[phenest]

What is the purpose of a "Welcome screen"? I get a login screen if that's what you mean?

... customarily set up plymouth so they don't see the startup gobbledygook ...

I don't get any "gobbledygook" at startup.

[debiman]

What is the purpose of a "Welcome screen"? I get a login screen if that's what you mean?

... customarily set up plymouth so they don't see the startup gobbledygook ...

I don't get any "gobbledygook" at startup.

click the link in post #1 - it has nothing to do with plymouth.

i can see how plymouth is useful for non-tech-savvy users, or good for introducing linux.
all those error messages whizzing by - yes, some of them really are error messages, and try explaining to a linux newb that they are irrelevant, and that the only reason they don't see it on windows is because windows chooses to hide this sort of stuff completely - an explanation like that will go down "like a turd in a punch bowl" as someone once said.

but i agree with previous posts, this is not something to be created or even maintained by debian devs.

[golinux]

git.devuan.org has many personal projects that are not an 'official' part of the Devuan distribution. The welcome screen that Anto Fox forked from mintwelcome is one of those. And although there is a red Devuan wallpaper available it is not the signature color for Devuan Jessie which is a dusty purple color.

Note that Desktop is not that much of a priority for Devuan as many (if not most) Devuan users never even see a desktop. They spend their life in cli.

[tynman]

Is there even such a thing as the Debian Desktop team? My impression was all of the "desktops" offered by the Debian installation program were third-party offerings, e.g., Gnome, XFCE, etc.

[Funkygoby]

I noticed that a lot of distros have a beloved "welcome screen"
...
maybe Debian Desktop users can get a little more pimped, like showing off "Hey im using Debian, it is cool".

What are your thoughts on this?

I believe this is just a packet or a default left blank in Debian.
To me this screen adds nothing to the usability therefore it is not welcomed on my computer.
I want my computer to be a slave who obeys my will and never gets in my way.

Just to add a though without any condescending (i hope).
I believe it's the same when you visit a foreign country. When you see someone and wonder "Why does he do that?!", it is generally a good idea to immerse yourself a little more into the "culture" so that you understand the people constrains and needs.
The more you travel, the more you become "open" to foreign strangeness I believe.

Ubuntu, Mint and the like are about consuming i.e. "pleasing a random user", "get pimped?" or "focus_of_the_year=random()". Those distro are 99% of the eco-system out there. So this niche is covered.
Then you have those others distros that have a different focus. Debian is about stability, universality and usability for what I can tell.

[golinux]

Is there even such a thing as the Debian Desktop team? My impression was all of the "desktops" offered by the Debian installation program were third-party offerings, e.g., Gnome, XFCE, etc.

Desktops do indeed come from independent teams of developers. But the LOOK and some FUNCTIONING of those desktops can be tweaked by individual distributions deep in the bowels of debian code. Of course Gnome may have other ideas about what can and can't be done to their desktop..

[VentGrey]

To me this screen adds nothing to the usability therefore it is not welcomed on my computer.
I want my computer to be a slave who obeys my will and never gets in my way.

Then how about a first boot screen?

[golinux]

To me this screen adds nothing to the usability therefore it is not welcomed on my computer.
I want my computer to be a slave who obeys my will and never gets in my way.

Then how about a first boot screen?

If you want one, create one for your own setup. Then share it if you like. That's the way free software works.

[phenest]

Then how about a first boot screen?

If it were only for the first boot, would it get removed automatically for 2nd and subsequent boots? I don't see the point of a program that is used once and once only.

I have a host of things to do after installing Debian: drivers, firmware, tweak some scripts, and install a whole bunch of software from the repository. I don't need a program to "help" me.

[bw123]

There was a real long thread about this a yer agoe and I refuse to look it up.

[GarryRicketson]

I remember that also, but don't feel like searching for it, the OP ended
up getting mad, because no one was really interested in doing it for them,..
What really is needed more then a welcome screen,
is a Welcome Prompt, the most recent, but there have been a few,:
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php? ... 74#p635225

The " Welcome Prompt", would say something like :
Welome to Debian,..."version number,etc"..
Please type 'help' for help ,and a list of commands,....
Ahh, here it is , the other thread:
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=129052

[VentGrey]

I understand most of your points, and i don't blame you xD i also like to Debian-my way but maybe an optional feature for the "newbies" could help a little , as for making one i could post a github link for the project but im afraid it could break the rules,and kills me.

[GarryRicketson]

by VentGrey » as for making one i could post a github link for the project but im afraid it could break the rules,and kills me.

If you are actually working on such a project, I don't think
it would break any rules to share it here,...
But if you want to be sure, ( I am not a admin nor mod,) so just
because I say so, does not mean much,.. if you want to be sure,..
HOWTO contact forum moderators/admins
Also this:
Forum guidelines. Please read before first post!
There have been occasionally various members that post links
to projects and github, so I don't think there should be any problem.

[debiman]

as for making one i could post a github link for the project but im afraid it could break the rules,and kills me.

wot?
but that's the whole point of F(L)OSS, that everything is opensource, everyone is (at least potentially) participating, and sharing their stuff (which is in turn taken from elsewhere)...

you need to drop your "You all linux guys, and me newb" attitude.
it's all just "us"!
i don't mean that in a naive or romantic way, no, but that's just how it is.

[golinux]

@VentGrey . . . It's not up to Debian to make your Linux life 'easier' or to cater to your preferences. It's up to YOU to build your system just the way you want it. As noted previously, if you want OOTB hand-holding there are other distros that will do that for you.

(Seems I'm in a mood today . . .)

[Funkygoby]

To me this screen adds nothing to the usability therefore it is not welcomed on my computer.
I want my computer to be a slave who obeys my will and never gets in my way.

Then how about a first boot screen?

For what purposes?
-A seasoned Linux user won't need it.
-A newcomer from Ubuntu already knows where to find help (doc and forum) or package manager
-A newcomer from windows, maybe... but if they are already lost after login, they should go to ubuntu or mint.

Which brings me to my 2nd point. If you want to improve hand-holding, you are recreating Ubuntu and the like. And there are already thousands of those distros. And you will cause trouble to traditionals Debian users who will have to work to remove the hand-holding stuff who goes in there ways.

A motocycle would be much more comfortable, convenient, secure with a:
-roof
-heater
-gps
-more passengers seats
-1 or 2 more wheels for stability
And that's a car. Yet there are people who prefer a simple motorcycle...