UbuntuHelp
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| = Ubuntu Help = | ## page was renamed from LocalHelp |
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| This is a suggested outline for Ubuntu Help, the help that appears when someone chooses "Help" from Ubuntu's top-level menus. The help should be aimed at people who already have Ubuntu installed, and need answers fast. They may be complete beginners, businesspeople on a deadline, or harried sysadmins. They may not even have a working Internet connection. The system should integrate help from gnome.org, ubuntu.com, openoffice.org, and anywhere else, because Aunt Tillie doesn't care about those distinctions. | Ubuntu Help is a project to develop on-screen help good enough to appear by default when someone chooses "Help" from Ubuntu's top-level menus. The help should be aimed at people who already have Ubuntu installed, and need answers fast. They may be complete beginners, businesspeople on a deadline, or harried sysadmins. They may not even have a working Internet connection. The system should integrate help from gnome.org, ubuntu.com, openoffice.org, and anywhere else, because Aunt Tillie doesn't care about those distinctions. Discuss this page at: ["/talk"] == Things that need doing by someone expert with DocBook == These are in order of importance, but any of them will help. * Hide yelp's table of contents frame. * Remove the section numbers from tables of contents and `<xref>`s. This is an unordered set of help pages, not a textbook. * List subsections after the main text of sections, not before. * Make all text unjustified. A help window is too narrow for justified text. * Give all `<itemizedlist>`s and `<orderedlist>`s a pale grey background. * Remove the previous/next links at the bottom of each page. Replace them with a link to the "Getting more help" section, with a different background color. == How to hack the help == === Getting started === {{{ sudo bash -c "echo deb http://bazaar.canonical.com/releases/debs ./ >> /etc/apt/sources.list" sudo aptitude update; sudo aptitude install bazaar mkdir ~/archives # or choose a different directory if you like baz make-archive your@e-mail.address ~/archives/your@e-mail.address baz get http://mirrors.sourcecontrol.net/mpt@myrealbox.com/help--0 ubuntu-help cd ubuntu-help; baz branch your@e-mail.address/help--0 }}} === Publishing your archive on the Supermirror so others can see it === If you don't have one already, [https://launchpad.ubuntu.com/+login get a Launchpad account], and register your SSH key with Launchpad (click on your name after logging in, then click "SSH Keys"). Then: {{{ baz make-archive -m your@e-mail.address sftp://your@e-mail.address@mirrors.sourcecontrol.net/your@e-mail.address }}} === Committing and mirroring your changes === {{{ baz commit baz archive-mirror }}} === Merging someone else's changes into your own branch === {{{ baz merge their@e-mail.address/archive--name }}} == License for the help == To let extracts from the help be embedded into GPLed software for greater effectiveness (requiring a GPL-compatible license), to let the help be used by Debian, and to let it be incorporated into future BY-SA-licensed books etc, Ubuntu Help is licensed with the following text: This document is Copyright 2004 its contributors as defined in the section titled AUTHORS. This document is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later <`http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html`>, or under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, version 2.0 or later <`http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/`>, at the option of any party receiving it. |
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| == Ubuntu Help == | == Draft outline == |
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| * If you're new to Ubuntu 5.10 * Customizing settings * Internet and networking * Working with files from Windows * Documents, files, and folders * Disks and storage devices * Music, photos, and video * Printing and faxing * Keeping your computer safe * Maintenance and troubleshooting * Advanced topics * Getting more help |
see ["/Contents"]. |
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| === If you're new to Ubuntu 5.10 === | |
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| * What is Ubuntu? * If you've been using Ubuntu 5.04 * If you've been using Ubuntu 4.10 * If you've been using Microsoft Windows * If you've been using Mac OS X === Customizing settings === * Changing the background picture * Choosing a screensaver * Saving power * Accessibility options * Keyboard layout * Setting the date and time * ... === Internet and networking === * Connecting to the Internet * Finding things on the Web * Sending and receiving e-mail * Chatting online * Connecting to a Windows network * Sharing files * ... === Music, photos, and video === * Listening to music * How do I play MP3 files? * Copying music from CD to computer * Copying music from computer to CD * Playing videos * ... === Printing === * How to set up a printer * If printing doesn't work * If printing works, but not the way you want === Keeping your computer safe === * Use separate accounts for each person * Keep your software up to date * Set up a firewall * ... === Maintenance and troubleshooting === * Sound doesn't work * Programs keep disappearing or crashing * My desktop icons have disappeared * A computer has a blank screen * A computer is frozen or running very slowly === Advanced topics === * Using the terminal * Terminal commands reference ("man pages") * Setting up a file server * Setting up a print server * Writing your own programs * ... |
CategoryDocteam |
Ubuntu Help is a project to develop on-screen help good enough to appear by default when someone chooses "Help" from Ubuntu's top-level menus. The help should be aimed at people who already have Ubuntu installed, and need answers fast. They may be complete beginners, businesspeople on a deadline, or harried sysadmins. They may not even have a working Internet connection. The system should integrate help from gnome.org, ubuntu.com, openoffice.org, and anywhere else, because Aunt Tillie doesn't care about those distinctions.
Discuss this page at: ["/talk"]
Things that need doing by someone expert with DocBook
These are in order of importance, but any of them will help.
- Hide yelp's table of contents frame.
Remove the section numbers from tables of contents and <xref>s. This is an unordered set of help pages, not a textbook.
- List subsections after the main text of sections, not before.
- Make all text unjustified. A help window is too narrow for justified text.
Give all <itemizedlist>s and <orderedlist>s a pale grey background.
- Remove the previous/next links at the bottom of each page. Replace them with a link to the "Getting more help" section, with a different background color.
How to hack the help
Getting started
sudo bash -c "echo deb http://bazaar.canonical.com/releases/debs ./ >> /etc/apt/sources.list" sudo aptitude update; sudo aptitude install bazaar mkdir ~/archives # or choose a different directory if you like baz make-archive your@e-mail.address ~/archives/your@e-mail.address baz get http://mirrors.sourcecontrol.net/mpt@myrealbox.com/help--0 ubuntu-help cd ubuntu-help; baz branch your@e-mail.address/help--0
Publishing your archive on the Supermirror so others can see it
If you don't have one already, [https://launchpad.ubuntu.com/+login get a Launchpad account], and register your SSH key with Launchpad (click on your name after logging in, then click "SSH Keys"). Then:
baz make-archive -m your@e-mail.address sftp://your@e-mail.address@mirrors.sourcecontrol.net/your@e-mail.address
Committing and mirroring your changes
baz commit baz archive-mirror
Merging someone else's changes into your own branch
baz merge their@e-mail.address/archive--name
License for the help
To let extracts from the help be embedded into GPLed software for greater effectiveness (requiring a GPL-compatible license), to let the help be used by Debian, and to let it be incorporated into future BY-SA-licensed books etc, Ubuntu Help is licensed with the following text:
This document is Copyright 2004 its contributors as defined in the section titled AUTHORS. This document is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>, or under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, version 2.0 or later <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/>, at the option of any party receiving it.
Style guide
People [http://helpware.net/longhorn/review1b.htm#TOC_Index_Search don't read help tables of contents] if they can search instead. So when search is implemented in the help viewer, the main table of contents should be simplified to four or five things that people can glance at while entering their search terms. Until then, it should contain no more than about a dozen subtopics. Local help is faster than the Web, so you can get away with having less on each page, and thereby avoid scrolling. Design for compact layout, so the help viewer can go alongside the software you're wanting help on. Brevity, brevity, brevity.
Draft outline
see ["/Contents"].
UbuntuHelp (last edited 2008-08-06 16:29:32 by localhost)