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Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 13:16:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: "David J. MacKenzie" <djm@earth.web.us.uu.net>
Reply-To: djm@earth.web.us.uu.net
To: FreeBSD-gnats-submit@freebsd.org
Cc: djm@web.us.uu.net
Subject: installer navigation is confusing
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>Number:         17957
>Category:       misc
>Synopsis:       installer navigation is confusing
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    freebsd-bugs
>State:          closed
>Quarter:        
>Keywords:       
>Date-Required:  
>Class:          change-request
>Submitter-Id:   current-users
>Arrival-Date:   Wed Apr 12 10:20:02 PDT 2000
>Closed-Date:    Wed Jun 6 13:36:45 PDT 2001
>Last-Modified:  Wed Jun 06 13:37:05 PDT 2001
>Originator:     David J. MacKenzie
>Release:        FreeBSD 4.0-RELEASE i386
>Organization:
UUNET
>Environment:

x86 PC

>Description:

The 4.0 installer program (what gets run from mfsroot.flp) seems to
use a tree-structured model for navigation, I've inferred.  Some of the
submenus involve backtracking to a previous menu when done.  This structure,
combined with the quirky mappings of the return and space keys,
left me continually unsure of how to proceed.  I was never sure
whether I was about to cancel and undo what I'd just selected, and
sometimes I'd get trapped into what seemed like an infinite loop
between several menus.  Some of the menus have OK and cancel buttons
PLUS an "Exit to previous menu" selection, if I recall correctly,
and you can't actually move the cursor over the OK button; you seem
to have to press return over one of the main selections.

I was very relieved and a bit surprised when I miraculously made it
all the way through the process.

>How-To-Repeat:

(Try to) install FreeBSD 4.0 on a PC.
I've been installing various Unix systems for over 10 years, and
this is probably the most confusing installer I've run across.

>Fix:

A much better model would be a linear one, in which it's always
clear how to proceed to the next step in installation.
I wouldn't mind if I have to tab over to the OK or cancel button and press
return to get out of a given menu, even if it requires a few more
keystrokes; it would be way less confusing.

The Red Hat and Mandrake Linux installers (not to mention Windows)
are much easier to navigate.

>Release-Note:
>Audit-Trail:
State-Changed-From-To: open->closed 
State-Changed-By: phk 
State-Changed-When: Wed Jun 6 13:36:45 PDT 2001 
State-Changed-Why:  
For the "directors cut" version, see: 
http://daily.daemonnews.org/view_story.php3?story_id=1954 

http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=17957 
>Unformatted:
