Install page updated

[curaga]

The main install page has been updated to showcase the installer. Comments welcome.

[Guy]

It is good that you updated it.

New users will find installing with the installer much easer than the old method.

One thing which immediately stands out to me is:

If you use the multicore cd, and type tci at the boot prompt, you get a wbar icon and menu entry for the installer.

However, if you use Load Starter Pack to load install.gz, you don't get an icon or menu entry.

I think it is a good idea to also include the option to click the Run icon, and type

tc-install

for those who don't have an icon or menu entry.

[roberts]

Nice job, Curaga.

Hmmm. I think I shall make the loadpack method also produce the menu item and icon thereby having consistency in user experience.

[curaga]

Hm, it doesn't? I booted 3.7.1 standard and loaded the pack before X, perhaps that was why I had the icon there.

edit: Thanks Guy, added a note about that.

[Guy]

It can also be started via the Run tool or a shell by typing tc-install

From the shell you need to use

sudo tc-install

Unless it has changed in recent updates.

[Guy]

It is probably also worth adding a note:

If you select Existing Partition. Click on the square preceeding “Mark Partition Active (bootable)” so it becomes ticked.

New users not doing this, may have a difficult time knowing what is wrong.

[Guy]

I suggest changing

If you know that you want to have some bootcodes there by default, enter them now:

to

If you want to use additional bootcodes, enter them now. Otherwise leave this blank.

I am thinking about new users who don't understand very much. They may just copy exactly what you did without understanding.

You could even use an example which will not affect the way Tinycore runs, such as

tz=-6

So that if they do just copy it, they will have Tinycore running almost normally.

There are many people with a good understanding. But there are some just starting to learn. Keeping it simple, helps them.

I hope you don't think this is too trivial.

[curaga]

Thanks, all mentioned changes done. I left the bootcodes image as is, but added a note about the codes used.

[Guy]

Just in case my comments have not been clear, you can start the installer by

Clicking the Run icon, and typing

tc-install

or

From the shell using

sudo tc-install

You would think it should be the same, but it does not seem to be.

[curaga]

Now that I tested it, why sudo? It is started as the user both from the icon and menu, and started fine for me from the shell without sudo.

[Guy]

It may have been changed with recent updates.

I have not tested the latest update.

sudo was needed in earlier versions.

If you have tested it with the latest updates, and it works, that is great.

[roberts]

FWIW the GUI never required sudo.
Likely confusion with the original console based tc-install.sh which is still available, primarily for use with microcore.

[maro]

I also like to add my 2cents to the updated install page: I think it is good to have the Core documentation (i.e. not the wiki or the forum based stuff) reflecting this change in a timely manner as this is likely to be the first place a newcomer to the Core world will get it's initial knowledge from.

I remember vagely my start with TC more than two years ago. I had read a note either on distrowatch.com or lwn.net and even though I tried to read the intro or concepts page of that time at least five times, but I could not make much sense of it. Much has changed (and been improved) since, but the risk that those of us "regulars" won't recognize the hurdles a "freshman" might face still exist. IIRC I walked initially away and "played" with some other small distribution (i.e. Slitaz) and only a few weeks or month later came back, gave it another crack and finally got "hooked" on the different approach taken here.

Now, pretending for a moment to be the proverbial "noob" I would possibly struggle with the otherwise not defined term of a "Frugal" install. I like to think to know what it means, but for the very first time reader using certain wording (in particular at radio buttons in the GUI) and not offering an explanation might be a hurdle. In particular as the bar has now possibly been lowered to a less technical user community by having a GUI installation method.

I then tried to find some definition and failed so searching the Install, Intro, Core Concepts, and FAQ pages. But not to worry, here comes Robert to the rescue in this very timely reply (which IMHO pretty much "nailed it").

So, I wonder whether any "non-standard" terminology used in the install page needs to be explained, either right there or via a link to a reference or explanation somewhere else. Furthermore I'd like to add 'USB-HDD' and 'USB-ZIP' as candidates requiring some definition or explanation. And if Robert's definitions from the above mentioned reply are used to educated the great unwashed a word or two about 'kernel' and 'initrd' might not go amiss.

[curaga]

I recall reading Robert's article Not your father's OS, it explained what frugal is very well. @Robert, it doesn't seem to be online anymore, perhaps it would be good to host here on the TC site?

edit: @maro, added an explanation of frugal to the Concepts page.