Proposed Ubuntu 10.10 installer simpler, still not easy

For the most part, I think the changes proposed for the installer in Ubuntu 10.10 look really good.

Generally, I find the amount of attention that many Linux review tend to devote to the installer to be excessive. Still, it is the first experience a lot of people will have of a Linux operating systems, so it’s pretty important that it not be a mess.

As for the 10.10 proposal, I really like the idea that it will auto-detect stuff like the keyboard layout and the timezone. The mock-up of the drive partitioning dialog is pretty sweet too:

I have installed Ubuntu more times than I can count, and I *still* find this step to be confusing. I understand drive partitioning and I know what I want to do, but translating that into reality via the confusing jumble of sliders, radio buttons, and drop-down menus the installer has historically provided can be a challenge.

I do wonder, though, whether it is realistic to think that a newbie-friendly drive partioning wizard is possible. In my experience, most day-to-day computer users do not know what a partition is, or why it might be necessary.

If they are really expecting non-technical users to be using this installer, they’d be better off presenting a plain-language question like, “Do you want the ability to keep using Windows on this computer, or do you want to get rid of everything and use only Ubuntu?” If the user picks “Keep using Windows,” then send them into the partitioning dialog. While it probably violates some sacred and arcane rule of UI design, I can see some benefit to having some “Tell me more” links in the partioner that would allow the user to pull up additional detail about what partitioning means and what options they have.

I’m sure it probably violates some sacred and arcane rule of UI design, but I could see some benefit to having some sort of “Tell me more” link