Mick michaelkintzios at gmail.com writes:
The OP has inadvertently given us some valuable feedback, which stands on its
own and is irrelevant with the fact that he (like many other non-gentoo
users) had mistaken Gentoo for yet-another-binary-distro. Having a user
friendly website that also caters to the needs of newcomers to the Gentoo
scene, requires that the key features and benefits of Gentoo are easily
visible/accessible. Not many people will navigate to hidden Statistics pages
to draw their own conclusions. These could be users that one day prove
valuable contributors. I suggest that we spring clean the website and
consider our new visitors needs at the same time (plus things like the much
asked for Documentation search field?).
Some months ago, when we all argued about the necessity of having a polished
installation CD, many of the more technical folks alluded to the fact that
it's really not necessary, as there are a myriad of ways to install Gentoo.
We, who use it regularly, know that at any given point you do not need an
official installation CD to install Gentoo. Very true.
However, as a major Linux distro, I used the analogy of Green teeth as
our first impression. This (potentially) new user, and the corporation
where he works, was about to base their entire opinion of Gentoo, based on the
status of the installation CD. For all of those that blasted me, with technical
truths, I have now *A BIG FAT GRIN*!
The question we should all ask is, how often does this happen, and
we never know about it? Like it or not, the installation CD(s) are like
a first kiss, from a woman. We should make a good impression, as that
may be the only chance we get, to grow our membership, into the best
(meta) distro on the planet.
Vindication is very sweet.
Seeya,
James
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