Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

[Diggs]

Puppy has so much in it's menu system and much of it is so cryptic that the novice or new user can be easy baffled and intimidated by the multitude of choices in each sub-menu. When I introduce new users to Puppy I have wished for a "Basic" or "Standard" menu setting that hides 2/3 of the menu items that a new user is very unlikely to use. Present them the initial option of just the basics and the ability to turn on and off the advanced items of each (or all) sub-menus. I think this would go a long way in promoting the user-friendliness of Puppy.

Just my $.02.

[RSH]

Hi.

I think i have one way (actually cooking in my head) how this could be done (easy to use for the new linux user).

Would you please suggest, what should be available in the standard menu? I will try some work on this. It should be easily done using shellscript (i hope so).

RSH

[Diggs]

I can make some suggestions, but I'm sure there are others out there that would do a much better job of it.

[Lobster]

good plan

If possible
I believe Beginner/Intermediary/Advanced would be better

Beginner
Part of the problem is the names
eg menu/Exit
restart JWM
restart x
etc


power off
restart
all a beginner needs

Help (no probs can stay in all levels)

Fun (which is not much fun but would leave in)

now up to multimedia (yuk)

OK
I do not even know where to begin with that . . . m m m
I would just have Gnome Mplayer (Puppy 5.3.1)
but 'Gnome Mplayer' - geeky nothing
so it should be called Play media - because that is what it does
I would add mywavedit
What does it do? 'Record and edit' so that becomes the label

. . . that should get you started . . .

[RSH]

Hi,

Is that quick? So, what do you think about this?

This is a very hard cutdown - just to show its possibilities.

Did only beginner and advanced edited. Only for testing and improving.

Please, do not use your favorite save file to improve that!

After installing and (automatically) refreshing menu run "beginner" or "advanced" in the "state of user" menu above help menu.

This one is only edited for fbpanel - but i am able to do this for openbox, fluxbox, jwm and icewm as well.

RSH

P.S.

I must have to go to bed and sleep some hours. Would you please create and post any suggestions of every menu entry and its wanted subs, to give me a line to work. I don't want to break my mind by thinking and doing this alone.

Thank you.

Edit - 2012-01-12: removed the .pet for testing; not longer needed!

[stu90]

I like to use 'myGTKmenu' (this is the name of the menu application i didnt make it) for custom menus then map it to the left mouse button - on puppy i use this menu more than openbox menu! ( i posted a pet somewhere for it on the forum )

Syb menus are supported and configuration is done by a single text file with simple entry:
item = Terminal
cmd = urxvt
icon = /usr/local/lib/X11/pixmaps/console48.png

[RSH]

[jemimah]

What we really need is a puppy for newbies that doesn't come with a bunch of confusing crap in the first place.

Come contribute to the Saluki project!
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=73687

[RSH]

I had to apologize!

Unfortunately i forgot to copy the pfbpanel into /usr/sbin inside the pet!

Uploaded a new one (my 2. post above), that works!!!

RSH

[nancy reagan]

What I think would be most illuminating, is to call things by a common name.

Windowers have no clue about Abowird.

My suggestion is: 1. name of the function (wordprocessor, spreadsheet) followed by 2. it funny names (e.g. pudd, gdmap, retrovol alsamixer etc.)

At least thus it worked by me. Did not give it a proper look sometimes hit by incidence the proper button and hence got around a bit in Puppy.

Pity, because it is so rich and full featured and yet mainly used by tweakers instead of average users.

Landed at linux because somebody broke my XP, got so intrigued so that I got lost in Puppy.

SFS's Pet's Slickpet Quickpet ???? it is just puppytalk between tweakers. Therefore linux and/or puppy will never become as popular as it should be, according to its possibilities.

[RSH]

First (BIG) step is done!


New menu entry "Start Puppy as..." above menu>help

- 3 Subs added

* Beginner
* Intermediary
* Advanced

- (following Lobster's suggestions)

The Images do not show the solution for the menu entries in menu>multimedia. This is just an edit to show its possibilities.

More Info to come when i have posted the .pet for LazY Puppy 5.2.8-4. Then there will be one .pet for the latest standard lucid as well.

Actually it seems, this could work on all other puppies as well...


Please, make suggestions to the menu title "Start Puppy as..."

Just like:

- Run Puppy as...
- Use Puppy as...
- I am a...
- Must be a...

(Beginner, Intermediary, Advanced)

I am not sure about which one to release...

Please...

RSH

Note, as almost always in my images: It will show the English menu if English keyboard layout is set.

[RSH]

[Volhout]

For a beginner, I would hide the program name, only leave the functional description in the menu. If a beginner wanted to know what program he actually started he can always browse to the "about" menu. To a beginner it is absolutely not important what mediaplayer he uses, as long as it plays his media. Not important what browser he uses, as long as it works well on his internet pages.

To be honest, I would probably stay in "beginner" mode.....

Is there any benefit in following:

Beginner mode: only basic icons on the desktop (i.e. browser, mediaplayer, word processor, home (or my documents), shutdown), and a rightclick menu like browserlinux has with some 10-15 additional progs. No puppy menu at all.
Oh yeah, make sure there is a decent browser in the basic iso. Ik really LOVE the 52x series and use them every day, but this (IMHO) was a bad decission. I often use puppy CD to recover systems, and always run into this problem. Have you ever tried to download drivers (recover a WNDWS system...) from the HP site without a decent browser ?
Please look at Browserlinux501 for a good basic beginner OS.

Advanced mode: add a puppy menu

Expert mode: drop to the commandline and close X.

[nancy reagan]

Well when I would have seen this in the menu when I first entered puppy I would not have given any notice to this entry MHWavedit Audioaufnahme.

Too long a sentence for somebody always being in a hurry.

Only after having read some posts people talking about this or that a recognised some entries.

However for somebody entering from day 1 I would suggest:

AUDIOAUFNAHME - mhwavedit.
HD BACKUP - pudd
VIDEO EDITOR - Openshot

I think this -jumps- to the eye.

Of course no idea how much extra work this would cost, but maybe one day you might think "was will ich Heute mal machen ? .." then you could etc.

[RSH]