[CentOS-docs] Installing CentOS - user feedback

On 8/17/20 4:19 PM, Thibaut Perrin wrote:
> Hi Rich,
> 
> Just for 1), when you choose the distro you want, written in white on 
> blue on top of that you have a phrasing that describes (agreed, it could 
> be better positioned, but it's there) :
> CentOS Linux
> => Consistent, manageable platform that suits a wide variety of 
> deployments. For some open source communities, it is a solid, 
> predictable base to build upon.
> 
> CentOS Stream
> => Rolling-release distro that tracks just ahead of Red Hat Enterprise 
> Linux (RHEL) development, positioned as a midstream between Fedora Linux 
> and RHEL. For anyone interested in participating and collaborating in 
> the RHEL ecosystem, CentOS Stream is your reliable platform for innovation.

Yes, these are good, but are both *after* you've made the choice of 
which button to click. I have been told (not in writing, but just at 
events) that it's not clear why one would pick one or the other. Maybe 
we could do a shorter form of those as a mouseover?

> 
> I agree on the missing points, and also the "Documentation" page 
> includes doc for 7 & 8, even if you're on the 6.10 choice. Which means 
> there's not even documentation links for 6 while it's still possible to 
> download it ?

Oops. I hadn't noticed that. Although, we're just 2 months out from 6 
EOL, so probably not something we're going to spend much time fixing, 
I'd guess?

> 
> On the other points, once you choose x86_64, there should be more 
> guidance on the mirror page I'd say. You'll find the following ISO 
> files, here is a list of which you'll find and what usage.
> Maybe the mirror parent page could include a readme or a redirect to the 
> ISO page as well for that matter ?
> 
> I think the fewest places the info is stored, the less likely we'll 
> forget an update when there is one.

Definitely, I agree.


> 
> Thanks,
> 
> 
> On Mon, Aug 17, 2020 at 10:04 PM Rich Bowen <rbowen at redhat.com 
> <mailto:rbowen at redhat.com>> wrote:
> 
>     A few days ago I got email from a user who was attempting to install
>     CentOS. I've included their full message below, but, to summarize, when
>     one clicks on the "CentOS Linux" link on the front page of
>     centos.org <http://centos.org>
>     one is given a matrix of choices, and no guidance. On choosing one
>     option - say, x84_64 ISO, one is then given another list of options and
>     no guidance. Pick one of *those* options and you are yet again given a
>     list of options and no guidance.
> 
>     Now, it could be argued that someone who doesn't know what to choose is
>     not our target audience, and I suppose that would be an ok position to
>     hold. But wouldn't it be great to lower the bar just a little, and
>     offer
>     some guidance as to which links one should click?
> 
>     I'd like to see several things:
> 
>     1) On the front page, where it says "We offer two Linux distros:",
>     there
>     would be at least some hint of what this choice entails
> 
>     2) On the download page - https://www.centos.org/centos-linux/ - a
>     little explanation of what the various options there are.
> 
>     So far, this is all just edits to centos.org <http://centos.org>.
>     The next two steps involve
>     pushing changes to the mirror network, and I honestly have no idea what
>     is involved there.
> 
>     3) Adding phrasing to
>     http://isoredirect.centos.org/centos/8/isos/x86_64/ that indicates what
>     that inscrutable list of links means.
> 
>     and finally, possibly not even possible:
> 
>     4) Add words to http://centos4.zswap.net/8.2.2004/isos/x86_64/ (as a
>     random example) that say what the various options mean. This is
>     probably
>     not possible, since these are just autoindex generated pages. We could,
>     however, offer Apache httpd and nginx configuration recommendations
>     which will provide that additional information for sites that chose to
>     follow the instructions.
> 
>     And, really, #1 and #2 are the most important here.
> 
>     The full message follows:
> 
>       >>
>     I stumbled on your address on a Centos Faq page. I hope you can give me
>     some sort of answer.
>     I have been searching for a way to ask a question, but have not located
>     a forum. As I am fairly new to Linux generally, I am exploring
>     varieties, and Centos surfaced as an interesting option. But, again, I
>     have a problem no one else considers worthy of asking or answering: how
>     do I choose? Apparently the user in the download directory is supposed
>     to know what they are looking for.
>     When I followed the link to "download CentOs", I chose a link with
>     ".iso" on it. This opened another page, so I picked another likely
>     candidate. I went four or five branches deep before I gave up. I have no
>     idea why I would want one branch or the other. Should I just leave
>     CentOs to the experts?
>     I really wish that on the home page there was a specification for "user
>     level". Do developers assume that the user is expert, and that someone
>     who is not qualified will get exhausted and go away? It seems very
>     unkind to make that assumption and not say so. If I am not the intended
>     user, please tell me! Otherwise, could someone please explain how to
>     choose which version of CentOs to use?
>     If you could forward this letter to someone who can take the time to
>     answer my question, I will be grateful.
>     <<
> 
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