General suggestions
Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 5:49 am
First of all, I'll start by saying that at first, I didn't believed GhostBSD had a reason to exist. But I came to the conclusion that there might be a niche: people who don't want to spend their time (or maybe they lack the knowledge) to tinker a naked FreeBSD system to their needs, but they also don't like the path taken by PC-BSD. So people like me. I think that GhostBSD fits very well my needs, that's why I will give it a try. I also used DesktopBSD back in the days and never switched to PC-BSD. So I'm glad GhostBSD exists, to continue the tradition of a simple, not bloated, BSD desktop system.
After browsing the website, I came up with a few points that I would like to share. I'm by no means expert in BSD, or even in IT, nor in communication or design. I will express my feedback as a simple enthusiastic user, so please, don't take my feedback the wrong way. All I want is to help GhostBSD became a viable alternative to PC-BSD, FreeBSD any many Linux distribution.
First of all, let' be honest, GhostBSD project is a small project. That's not a bad thing. But for such a small project, I think it spreads too much, on various direction. For instance, I would choose only one DE and distribute only one version of GhostBSD. Let's say Xfce. It's much more mature than MATE. In the future, this option may change, in later releases. But for now, having MATE, Xfce, LXDE, Openbox is, in my opinion, way too confusing. Choose one, stick with it, and allow the user to easy install other ones. Simpler, less bandwidth sued, less confusing. it will also help create a visual identity of DesktopBSD.
Documentation now. I personally don't like the wiki approach. Again, I found it confusing. And it's outdated (since it's not that easy to maintain). The FreeBSD handbook is awesome, but for GhostBSD, I would suggest an FAQ-only approach, as OpenBSD uses. And consider that FAQ part of the distribution. Don't release a new version unless the FAQ is updated. It should contain only specific information related to GhostBSD, with links to Handbook for deeper explanation, no extra bloat, no empty sections (no info on a subject? don't open a section about it then).
The Forum, Website and Wiki seems disconnected. I know it's a matter of design, but I would like a more coherent approach (I like the FreeBSD take on this one). For instance, different headres, the FAQ from the Forum points to a forum-related section, not to the GhostBSD FAQ as one might expect and so on. And since I'm here, I would drop the Wiki and Forums. People could get help from mailing lists, IRC and Twitter, I don't think a lot of people are drawn to the forums nowadays. I might be wrong, but again I feel the project is to stretched for it's size. I strongly believe that good mailing lists could be more helpful than a forum with low number of subscribers (again, see OpenBSD, they have good lists, used by developers and users alike).
Also, choosing a mascot can't hurt. Maybe Beastie dressed in a green tuxedo. Or with a green tie. I wish I had the skills to draw it.
Again, I'm only trying to help, don't take my feedback in any other way. I know behind GhostBSD it's a small team of dedicated people and they are doing their best and that it's not easy handling an operating system. I just want GhostBSD to grow, like you do.
After browsing the website, I came up with a few points that I would like to share. I'm by no means expert in BSD, or even in IT, nor in communication or design. I will express my feedback as a simple enthusiastic user, so please, don't take my feedback the wrong way. All I want is to help GhostBSD became a viable alternative to PC-BSD, FreeBSD any many Linux distribution.
First of all, let' be honest, GhostBSD project is a small project. That's not a bad thing. But for such a small project, I think it spreads too much, on various direction. For instance, I would choose only one DE and distribute only one version of GhostBSD. Let's say Xfce. It's much more mature than MATE. In the future, this option may change, in later releases. But for now, having MATE, Xfce, LXDE, Openbox is, in my opinion, way too confusing. Choose one, stick with it, and allow the user to easy install other ones. Simpler, less bandwidth sued, less confusing. it will also help create a visual identity of DesktopBSD.
Documentation now. I personally don't like the wiki approach. Again, I found it confusing. And it's outdated (since it's not that easy to maintain). The FreeBSD handbook is awesome, but for GhostBSD, I would suggest an FAQ-only approach, as OpenBSD uses. And consider that FAQ part of the distribution. Don't release a new version unless the FAQ is updated. It should contain only specific information related to GhostBSD, with links to Handbook for deeper explanation, no extra bloat, no empty sections (no info on a subject? don't open a section about it then).
The Forum, Website and Wiki seems disconnected. I know it's a matter of design, but I would like a more coherent approach (I like the FreeBSD take on this one). For instance, different headres, the FAQ from the Forum points to a forum-related section, not to the GhostBSD FAQ as one might expect and so on. And since I'm here, I would drop the Wiki and Forums. People could get help from mailing lists, IRC and Twitter, I don't think a lot of people are drawn to the forums nowadays. I might be wrong, but again I feel the project is to stretched for it's size. I strongly believe that good mailing lists could be more helpful than a forum with low number of subscribers (again, see OpenBSD, they have good lists, used by developers and users alike).
Also, choosing a mascot can't hurt. Maybe Beastie dressed in a green tuxedo. Or with a green tie. I wish I had the skills to draw it.
Again, I'm only trying to help, don't take my feedback in any other way. I know behind GhostBSD it's a small team of dedicated people and they are doing their best and that it's not easy handling an operating system. I just want GhostBSD to grow, like you do.