Re. [Oberon] New Oberon users bootstrap improvement project

[cglur at onwe.co.za]

Edgar Schwarz wrote:
> Hi,
> I followed the discussion abaout the problems of new Oberon users for a
> while.
> Now my view:
> - If you successfully have installed an NO you will probably have a
> tiled system with the following somewhere on your screen:
>       Script.Open System.Text
>         click middle mouse button (or double left)
>         on Script.Open above for introductory text
> - This should be clear enough. In System.Text you find rather in the
> beginning:
> 	Script.Open UserGuide.Text
> - This gives you the important hint:
>     <== Click left/right mouse button in bar to scroll up/down.
> - Perhaps this already should be mentioned in the beginning of System.Text.
>     Another idea for the first page of System.Text could be something like:
>       If you have installed the Gadgets system and Documentation (?) (see
> below) with
>       Desktops.OpenDoc OberonCompanion.Tool (aka Book.Tool) you can
> access the electronic
>       version of 'The Oberon Companion', the book on Oberon System3.
> 
> So, did I describe the status quo correctly ?
> What's the problem with the existing stuff ?
> What do you think of my proposals ?

Yes the sequence seems to be well thought out.

But writing a tutor is more problematic than writing software,
because for every test run you need a new (set of) ignorant user(s).
You can't reuse the 'test-users'.

OK, so the sequence is like this:
boot installation -> see prompt to: Script.Open System.Text
     -> see prompt to: Script.Open UserGuide.Text

The new-user who manages this has got a vast amount of info
available.   Perhaps too much - overwhelming ?

If for some reason there is an extra viewer open when (s)he 
does: Script.Open UserGuide.Text ; then the all important
   <== Click left/right mouse button in bar to scroll up/down.
will be off-screen.

The contents of UserGuide.Text should be very well familiar to
the new user, before dealing with System.Text .

The present sequence of a nested/stacked approach, could perhaps
be replaced by a simple linear sequence structure ?

I.e. go immediately to the UserGuide.Text.
Perhaps put the "Keyboard , special key interpretations"
after "Mouse Keys" and "Text Editing" ?

It's much easier to analyse/criticise a tutorial than to write one.
You don't need to be a chicken to appreciate an omlette ?

One should not do what I did in trying to guide 'ghost':
* get wound up and out of control because of clowns (even 
claimed long time users) who advocate killing mouse cording.

* put attention/effort to an inividual instead of to the
system/orginisation-of-global-users.
-----------

The way forward is the way we got here:
   incremental well considered improvements.
IMO the tweaks and additions made from Ver 2.3.6 up to alpha
are excellent.

That I got hysterical about the 'ape-MS mouse mode' of version
alpha, is because no one would confirm (or deny) my belief that
the developers would never have been so crazy.  The F8 toggle
facility is again a nice solution.  {BTW this needs to be at the
beginning of the user's tutorial.}

That the vital F8 mouse-mode-toggle info is hidden inside of 
UserGuide.Text is problematic for old-time users. Are they
really going to read the handbook for the fourth time ?
Addendums or other special mechanism are appropriate ?

-- Chris Glur.

PS. I don't like this wording:
"..the old style three-button commands, press the F8 key..";
unless it is understood as per: " your old style of walking
before you became crippled".