Getting an ISO
From Grokdoc
Usability Test Question: Is it possible for Linux Newbie Person to figure out how to download, install, and use SuSE 9.1 all by herself?
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Begin Test - SuSE 9.1 - June 20, 2004
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Assigned Tasks:
TASK 1: Download ISO
TASK 2: Figure out how to burn an ISO CD (This may be no different than burning regular data files, but Newbie doesn't know that yet).
TASK 3: (At this beginning point, Newbie doesn't know what might come next, so she'll leave this task blank for now)
TASK 4: Install SuSE 9.1
TASK 5. Pray
TASK 6: Figure out what worked, and what didn't - Report results
TASK 7: Repeat Task 5 & task 6 until everything works
TASK 8: Run new software - report any problems - repeat Task 5 as often as necessary.
TASK 9: Learn how to ask intelligent questions.
TASK 10: Join a SuSE forum and practice the newly acquired intelligent question skills on others.
TASK 11: Report to GrokDoc everything that happened, and outline what was simple, and what was difficult, and what solutions helped most.
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About Test Subject: (me) 1 Linux Newbie Person Known hereafter as: LNP
- LNP is female, middle-aged, grandmother. Illustrator for educational materials publishing company. Has 35 years experience in art & illustration, 10 years experience using computers to develop illustrations for print. Equally handy with paint brush, pen & ink, or electronic pen.
- LNP depends upon her computers to be reliable and stable. Her work requires that she be able to meet all customer/client business project deadlines, without exception.
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Helpful Linux Person Responsible for administering Linux Newbie Test:
- None (No helper available). LNP must administer her own test.
- LNP is willing to attempt the testing task alone. Since those who administer and document the tests have been asked NOT to help or volunteer instructions to the designated Test Subject, LNP (in a dual role as test administrator & Linux Newbie Person) feels overly qualified to carry out those instructions.
- Please note, however, that once LNP begins to learn something, following these "No Help" instructions may become more difficult. Somewhere along the line LNP will need to let herself in on new information in order to avoid personality displacement & migraine headaches.)
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Test Title & Document Number: "Self-Test #BLTB101"
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Degree of computer experience & abilities of LNP:
- Relatively Competent Windows User.
- Able to build, upgrade, network, lockdown, maintain & troubleshoot her own computer systems (all running Win2KPro).
- Upon lengthy observation of LNP, she seems able to read and comprehend English words of up to 4 syllables fairly well (most days), has moderately stable personality.
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Prior Linux experience:
- Mandrake 7 on a laptop - dual boot with Win2K (2+ Years ago). Laptop already had the Mandrake/Windows dual boot system set up when LNP bought the laptop (from a private party). LNP liked Mandrake, liked Gnome. All went fine for several weeks until one day something ugly happened to LILO at boot up, entire system decended into LILO hell. LNP never could solve mystery, or fix the problem. Frustration followed. LNP refomatted drive, dumped LILO and Mandrake.
- (LNP sorely missed Mandrake afterwards...but, never, ever wanted to see LILO again...with or without Stitch)
LNP's Knoppix Experience:
- LNP ordered Knoppix CD in summer of 2003.
- Knoppix did not work on any of the Subject's 3 computers. The video card could not be recognized on main work computer, the mice were the problems on both the laptop, and the back up system computers.
- LNP's confidence was sorely deflated by the knowlege that she might be the only person in the world that could not use Knoppix...not just once, but 3 times. *Note(This experience may not bode well for LNP's current self testing situation)
- In a fit of humiliation & despair, LNP mailed the offending Knoppix CD to youngest son as stocking stuffer for Christmas, and pretended that had been the reason she'd bought Knoppix all along. *(LNP feels shame for this deception).
===============
Computer system used for Download and SuSE installation experiment:
- Home built:
ABIT VP6 Dual PIII processor board, 1GB of RAM, 120GB HD, NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200, Win2KPro, D-Link DGE-500T Gigabit Adapter Cox Cable Internet connection.
==================================
Sunday, June 20, 2004: 11:00 A.M. Arizona Time
==================================
- LNP reads a slashdot story about SuSE 9.1 ISO now being made available for download. LNP peruses Grokdoc for info about how to use downloaded ISO files. Decides to figure it out on her own & report her success (or failure) on Grokdoc.
- LNP finds download page, and is presented with this list of folders:
(Index of ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/9.1-personal-iso/)
MD5SUMS
MD5SUMS.sig
SUSE-9.1-personal-x86.iso
- LNP makes a folder on her desktop to receive the new ISO file, and selects the "SUSE-9.1-personal-x86.iso" folder from the download site, and begins downloading process at 12 noon.
- LNP expresses bewilderment to herself, because she has no idea what to do with an ISO when she gets one, but decides to begin Googling for answers to personal ISO cluelessness. Will also investigate Nero help files.
- Estimated time until SuSE 9.1 download is complete: About 12 hours.
(LNP yawns & decides to take nap)
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5:36 P.M. - LNB checks SuSE 9.1 download status...only 9 hours and 34 minutes left till download completes. (Anticipation heightens. LNP takes blood pressure meds)
- LNP wonders if she should also download the folders named "MD5SUMS" & "MD5SUMS.sig".
- Test Administrator offers no helpful hints (and LNP doesn't ask).
- LNP decides to go ahead and grab those extra files after main download completes, even if she doesn't know what to do with them once they're downloaded...(LNP puts "MD5SUMS" & "MD5SUMS.sig" folder titles on "to-do" list for information Googling.)
- LNP begins research on ISOs and how to create a bootable CD from acquired SuSE ISO files.
(LNP feels comforted knowing that Google is her Friend)
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Monday, June 21, 12:42 A.M.
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- LNP checked download before going to bed. Finds download interrupted, and error message on screen that said: "SuSE 9.1 could not be saved because the source file could not be read..." Or something to that effect. (LNP was tired and closed the error box before she memorized the message.)
- LNP looked into the SuSE folder on her desktop to see if ANYthing had downloaded during the last 12 hours, thinking that the download might at least be resumed from a partial file. LNP found the folder to be empty. No download had occured even in part.
- LNP sighs heavily, takes defeat in stride, and determines to start over. Finds slashdot article again, follows "mirror" link this time. The new download page looks very different from first ISO page, and presents this list of folders for downloading:
(Index of ftp://mirror.pacific.net.au/linux/suse/)
axp
discontinued
i386
ia64
noarch
ppc
ppc64
pubring.gpg-build.suse.de
sparc
sparc64
x86_64
- LNP is confused, but decides to download all files, and sort them out later. Tries to begin download...LNP has cable Internet, but is having difficulty maintaining a connection. It is now 1:11 A.M. (Periodic cable outages in the middle of the night are not uncommon here.)
- LNP determines to try again later.
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2:15 A.M.
- LNP Tries second mirror site and is presented with this list of folders and files:
(Index of ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/)
README.mirror-policy
contrib
find-ls
find-ls.gz
incoming
ls-Ral.txt
ls-Ral.txt.gz
people
projects
suse
unitedlinux
- LNP exhibits signs of confusion and does not understand why every site is presenting a different list of files.
- LNP finds SuSE home page and clicks on the "Home User" edition, and considers just ordering the box instead of fooling with the downloads. (Feels disappointed in self for being tempted to take easy way out.)
- LNP happens to see a link in the lower right hand of the page that says:
"Test SUSE LINUX 9.1 Personal without any risk! Download the live CD here and burn it on CD. SUSE LINUX 9.1 Personal will boot directly from the CD without modifying your hard disk, allowing you to test and use SUSE LINUX 9.1 Personal. You will be impressed..."
- LNP decides to try that option. Clicks link, chooses California as nearest dl mirror...begins download. Download completes within minutes.
- LNP copies and saves Instructions too. Reads instructions:
=========(Instruction Excerpt)====================
"LiveCD-9.1-01.iso is the first update of the Live CD/SUSE LINUX 9.1, published on May 6th 2004. English
How to Use the SUSE LINUX 9.1 Live CD
1. Download the ISO file LiveCD-9.1.iso from the specified Internet
address and save it on your hard disk. For this you will need about 700 MB of storage space.
=====================================
- LNP is confused by instruction #1.
- The "ISO" file that downloaded so quickly is not 700MB. It's only 5.22kb.
What did she miss? There were only two files available to download, one file was labeled "LiveCD-9.1-01.iso", the other one was labeled "Instructions".
- LNP concludes that the file she downloaded must only be a small update to the real ISO, but saw no "Real" ISO as a choice in the California mirror link she selected.
- LNP exhibits further signs of fatigue & frustration. Decides to call it a night.
===List of accomplishments from first "Usability Test"========
- LNP learned what an ISO is, and examined the help files and options in her installed NERO program for burning ISOs. Saved steps and info for reference later. Feels confident that it will not be difficult to do.
- LNP learned that MD5SUMS are available tools that help to ensure that the downloaded program files are complete. LNP assumes the MD5SUMS will be easy to figure out once she gets to them.
- LNP realized today that she needs to learn more appropriate terms & vocabulary in order to ask understandable questions, and to be able to understand the answers.
- LNP found link on SourceForge that lead her to a link for SuSE Pro CDs for $11.00. LNP decided that was a good price. LNP did a PayPal, confirmed sale...will now post this experience on Grokdok, and then go to bed.
- LNP will try installation and report back after CD is received in the mail.
- LNP's final conclusion for the day is that Newbies probably need supervision before attempting to download Linux files from the Internet. The lack of familiar folder and file names caused this newbie a lot of confusion.
- The download sites I accessed today all seemed to be meant for the same software download, and yet all had different lists of folder and file names. This was rather confusing for someone used to Windows, and used to looking for .exe files to download.
- Googling helped somewhat, but I was still never able to find clear answers as to which files were necessary to complete the download of the software I wanted. If my Internet connection had been more stable today, I probably would have downloaded everything I found, just to see what it all was. But my own hunch is that there must be a basic package that is necessary to do the installation, and the rest of the files and folders were extras. I just couldn't always tell which was which.
- My goal over the next week (as I await my new SuSE CD) is to try to learn what those different file and folders are.
- LNP felt a little discouraged today but, all in all is still in good spirits, enjoyed the experience, and is looking forward to the next attempt.
