HEADLINE: improve website/doc to ease install process
DESCRIPTION: installing Debian should be a straightforward process for average Joes and Jannes, that's not the case currently. The process to acquire the proper ISO and have it on a bootable USB stick/SD card is overly complicated (because the information is hidden, missing or incomplete).
As an average Joe, when you visit debian.org there is no obvious place to click to get the latest stable ISO. The default (in a tiny box in the upper right corner on the homepage) is a net-install ISO. net-install are sub-optimal for users who require special firmware for their network card (dvd-1 amd64 should be the default).
You should consider that the default install process for most desktop users will consist of installing Debian from a USB stick on an amd64 system. Once the the right ISO is properly put forward, you should provide clear and detailed info on how to properly transfer the ISO to the USB stick and make it bootable.
Etcher is a free/libre, cross-platform, user-friendly, straightforward GUI (over "dd" iirc) that takes care of the process of making a bootable drive. It should be promoted and made part of the install doc.
Same goes for SD-card installs, many single-board computer enthusiasts (who are not necessarily tech savvy) renounce trying to make a bootable SD card themselves and simply buy a pre-installed one. Simply because the information isn't provided in a straightforward fashion on Debian website and they are not offered with a relatively simple process .
no, using "dd" from the CLI isn't simple: as a Joe you must care about many concepts that are un-obvious (wait what does it mean "the volume is mounted" ? how do I unmount it ? how do I identify the proper volume ? fuck I unmounted the drive, it won't auto-mount anymore ! file-system ? what are you talking about ? MBR ? DOS-compat...)
ROLE/AFFILIATION: electronics engineer, based in Europe, involved in local initiatives to promote free software (LuGs, crypto parties, hacker spaces,...)
Thank you for your awesome work, I wouldn't be involved in promoting free/libre operating systems if it wasn't for Debian (a great community project that cares for users rights/freedoms and provides an overall simple desktop experience).
DESCRIPTION: installing Debian should be a straightforward process for average Joes and Jannes, that's not the case currently. The process to acquire the proper ISO and have it on a bootable USB stick/SD card is overly complicated (because the information is hidden, missing or incomplete).
As an average Joe, when you visit debian.org there is no obvious place to click to get the latest stable ISO. The default (in a tiny box in the upper right corner on the homepage) is a net-install ISO. net-install are sub-optimal for users who require special firmware for their network card (dvd-1 amd64 should be the default).
You should consider that the default install process for most desktop users will consist of installing Debian from a USB stick on an amd64 system. Once the the right ISO is properly put forward, you should provide clear and detailed info on how to properly transfer the ISO to the USB stick and make it bootable.
Etcher is a free/libre, cross-platform, user-friendly, straightforward GUI (over "dd" iirc) that takes care of the process of making a bootable drive. It should be promoted and made part of the install doc.
Same goes for SD-card installs, many single-board computer enthusiasts (who are not necessarily tech savvy) renounce trying to make a bootable SD card themselves and simply buy a pre-installed one. Simply because the information isn't provided in a straightforward fashion on Debian website and they are not offered with a relatively simple process .
no, using "dd" from the CLI isn't simple: as a Joe you must care about many concepts that are un-obvious (wait what does it mean "the volume is mounted" ? how do I unmount it ? how do I identify the proper volume ? fuck I unmounted the drive, it won't auto-mount anymore ! file-system ? what are you talking about ? MBR ? DOS-compat...)
ROLE/AFFILIATION: electronics engineer, based in Europe, involved in local initiatives to promote free software (LuGs, crypto parties, hacker spaces,...)
Thank you for your awesome work, I wouldn't be involved in promoting free/libre operating systems if it wasn't for Debian (a great community project that cares for users rights/freedoms and provides an overall simple desktop experience).