Tim Rowledge wrote:

>The Welcome To... window in the current release is a bit of a mess.
>I've spent a little while trying to improve it but it's not an easy
>thing to do - probably why it's so inadequate right now.
>  
>

Yes, it could use some improvement.  I currently don't have time to make 
major improvements to it... for the Basic 3.7gamma image I was just 
going to leave it as-is.  If someone wanted to volunteer to be the 
Welcome window maintainer, or perhaps be the maintainer of the Basic 
image desktop content in general, that would be great.  At a minimum we 
should at least make sure all the links work.

Diego is currently in charge of the Full image desktop/content.

Actually, the Full image (which is the one targetted at beginners) is 
probably the one that really needs the basic into stuff about using the 
menus, halos, etc.  Although I guess it wouldn't hurt to have in Basic 
too.  (Although directions on using the scrollbar seems a bit extreme... 
I can't imagine that someone who can turn on a computer doesn't already 
know how to use a scrollbar. :-) )

- Doug


>My suggestion (a partial version of which is attached) is that it ought
>to include right at the top a logically expanding intro to how to use
>the system. After a very brief 'what am I' I'm suggesting
> how to use the scrollbar (because you need to in order to get to the
>rest),
> about menu buttons and then menus
> how to text edit (menu stuff, key commands)
> moving and resizing windows and panes
> halos (so by now they can at least cope with a menu or halo they
>inadvertently open or a window that keeps moving)
> flaps
> ????
>
>After this short UI tutorial - which would be nice if done with
>suitable graphics and live demos - we can talk about the features;
> sound
> graphics
> networking
> project
> squeakmap
> IDE
> etc many of which have a project with the Worlds of Squeak project
>that could be pointed to or included.
>
>and then finally point to the swiki etc.
>
>I think this needs to be something to draw new users into our web and
>get them off to a good start. I would suggest that an even more
>pedantic, careful and extensive version ought to be built for the Full
>image, since that is eventually the system we'd offer as a newbies first
>experience. For people that already know the info it needs to be trivial
>to close it and preferably to drop it from their personal image to save
>the memory. There is quite a lot of the needed material already around
>on the net and it needs pulling together.
>
>I've made a small start with the attached edit of the original. Who can
>offer help for any of it?
>
>
>tim
>--
>Tim Rowledge, tim at sumeru.stanford.edu, http://sumeru.stanford.edu/tim
>One if by LAN, two if by C.  - Paul Revere, as told by John Karwoski
>
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>  
>
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