Re: Beginners using 1.3
Albert Cahalan (albert@ccs.neu.edu)
Mon, 26 Feb 1996 10:35:11 -0500 (EST)
> From: Snow Cat <snowcat@math.csufresno.edu>
>> On Mon, 19 Feb 1996, Robert of the smileys wrote:
>>>> Would be nice if at boot time 1.3 printed a message warning about
>>>> its experimental status.
>>>
>>> Good idea, just about everyone reads those messages as they
>>> scroll past to make sure everything is as it should be.
>
> My idea was to avoid BEGINNERS using 1.3. There are people who
> install linux for the first time. They know little Unix and have a
> hard time configuring their box.
> They install 1.3 confiding it is the best version like emacs 19 is
> far superior to 1.2.
> Configuring things like UUCP or sendmail is difficult enough with a
> stable kernel. With a 1.3 you don't know if it is you or the kernel.
> Later when all is working they can try 1.3.
>
> And the other day one of them told about being fed up with 1.3 bugs.
> The tone was harsh enough I suspect he was thinking Linux is broken
> and thinking about returning to greener DOS pastures.
>
> Like print the warning message (Capitalized and blinking if at all
> possible), pause the boot 5 seconds (Pentiums scroll too fast
> otherwise), continue booting. If they don't read it the first time
> they will do a day or another.
>
> When installing my first Linux distribution I installed 1.1. The
> paper doc did not mention its status (or I missed it in its 200
> pages). And I had to install Linux to read the on-line doc:-).
OK, how about cprintk() for color and a macro REDPRINT() that prints
in red and adds a 3 second pause? Substitute underline for mono.
This would also be good for reporting disasters.