Is someone working in the communication

Hi,

I remember some years ago I started using Mandriva (this was before changing to Ubuntu). Everything was not easy, specially if you weren't an informatician. And there was not lot of people who can help you. Now everything it's different: you are a big community, and you can google a problem and you probably will find a solution (or you can ask in a forum like these). I wanna say: that's very great!

But go to the point: I'm not pretty sure, but I think we can improve the way that we solve our problems. I mean maybe we can make something that you ask in the forum and you put all the relevant information (Computer, version and so on) automatically. I'm thinking in users like my grandmother: she is afraid to open the konsole, and she is not very good googling problems...
If she can report a problem, we have more information about problems in Ubuntu.

And at the end probably people with the same computer have similar problems: probably we can find a way to connect your problem, with the solution that works for people with the same computer as you... We can also standardize the answers so it'll be fine for translation...

We'll I wanna know if there's someone work in this aspect or someone knows something (documentation) in this way. Anyway, if there's nothing, is someone interested?

So thank you for your help,

Víctor

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is someone interested?

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Yes. There is you. Have you seen this thread? http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1422475 The kind of form that you are thinking about would be so complicated that your grandmother would not be able to use it. She would not know the information that we would need to know.

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Originally Posted by Victorfancelli

...We'll I wanna know if there's someone work in this aspect or someone knows something (documentation) in this way. Anyway, if there's nothing, is someone interested?

So thank you for your help,

Víctor

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I think your idea is genuinely whole-hearted and it's cool that you're promoting use of Ubuntu with your grandmother.
Logically, diagnostics are great for technical support teams, but we're talking about bypassing that altogether. Paired with search criteria and specs, I'd say your grandmother would be left with nothing more than a knowledge base system where she'd still have to hunt through other issues that could/could not be directly related to the problem at hand.

Let me explain:

You grandmother could experience something along the lines of a USB mouse not scrolling properly. She looks for support, using a handy ficticious auto-help feature, it would still require her to type out her issue. "My mouse isn't working" goes into the search and her specifications are sent with it. The results are about 12,000,000 pages of "Mouse not working" paired with Intel Core 2 Duo Dell Machines (hypothetically). In this regard, it would be much easier to simply bookmark Ubuntu forums and have her search out the issue in the search feature.

It would require very precise issue identification to implement such an idea, honestly, even the experts would get frustrated.

You're thinking outside the box, though. Nicely done. :)

Hi,

thank you for your answers, I think now my idea is more clear. I hope someone it's working on this, but for your answers I understand there's not a specific Team working in this. What I'm thinking its to solve the most common problems for beginners: maybe it'll be also helpful for experts. Of course it'll not be perfect, but it'll be a easy way to solve most common problems: the forums can be for speaking about exceptions or difficult problems. Here is the idea:

Let's assume that in internet there is one (or more than one) solution for each common problem; what it's important for provide a solution (and normally it's the information that everyone asks in the forum) is:

a) the problem
b) your particular situation (hardware/devices/ubuntu and so on: what is posted on the thread linked by grahammechanical) and
c) your knowledge of ubuntu (to give an easy or more technical solution).

So we're making a search with three filters. But c) is easy to determine by the user (probably my grandmother never wants to pass a beginners level) and b) is a "constant" and the computer can offer us this. Let me explain: imagine you're posting a problem in this forum and you have an option, while you're writing, to attach a file with all the information of your computer, and all the diagnostic devices commands (I don't know how to do this, but it's ubuntu, then it's possible!:KS). That will be so helpful for everyone that it's trying to help you (we'll, it will be maybe so much information, but that's not a problem if you know where to look). And it's so helpful for people that don't know nothing about computers.. it's just attach a file (that normally appears in the same folder). With this we improve the question, but not the answer: only with this, lot of people can aks properly, but just a few can give an answer (so it'll be the caos)

With all this, we only have problems with a). But if you have a mouse problem (just like these "mouse problem") and you're using a X computer, probably we can understand which is your problem, 'cause other people with your computer had the same problem. Or anyway, it'll be less problems with mouse and computer can answer: "your problem is about double click or the movement of the mouse?" (In a way that you can easy answer). And then just offer a (easy) solution for you. The solutions must be arranged (with tags and so on) very well, and it'll be grate to search a method to easily translate to other languages. If nobody had this problem, of course you can ask in the forum (giving all important information).

Maybe the easiest, is take all de [solved] questions in this forums and edit the tags (in which systems or computers does this answer work) or the message (to appear like "the solutions is this"). I'm not so sure, but maybe long range (and maybe for more experts), can appear answers like "nobody with your computer have the same problem, but people with this computer (so similar to yours) yes. Would you try the answer for the other computer?" and a week later ask if the solutions work or not (and mark this solution as compatible with your computer). On the other hand, that we'll be so helpful, when you download the ubuntu for installing. Asus zenbook (the ultrabook), for example, had lots of problems with the touchpad, so we can make a Ubuntu 13.10 Asus Zenbook version with this problem solved.

I think this can improve our way to solve problems, but I'm not sure about lot of things: Will it work? Is it really possible? Is it a lot of work (and which kind)? What about security? What about coding (I don't have any idea)? What about the "sense of community" or the nice fact that you're talking with people? Is there a better way to make it? Can we take some work of this forums, launchpad or something else?

So, If someone have some new ideas or questions is welcome, and sorry for this long post. BTW The cafe is the correct place for this threat?
Víctor

You are assuming, that everyone buys their system from an OEM. I'm pretty sure my custom built computer system is fairly unique. I've seen others, who's systems use the same components, but they are from different manufacturers.

My system consists of:

• MSI MS-7309 motherboard with Nvidia MPC61 chipset
• AMD Athlon II X2 240 CPU
• Kingston 2GiB ram
• Coolermaster 500 Watt Power supply
• D-Link DGS=530T Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
• BFG GeForce 210 Graphics Adapter
• Seagate 250GiB SATA Hard Drive
• Seagate 250GiB PATA Hard Drive
• LG DVD-Ram Writer
• Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard
• Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse 2.0
• Generic 2.1 Speaker system
• Case Unknown Manufacturer

I know there are a large number of members here that also have unique systems, so saying that something won't work on a particular users system would take a lot more research than most of us are willing to do.

This is also assuming that the majority of time spent troubleshooting is actually waiting for specs to be posted. What you're asking is for a manhunt of information regarding different pieces of information regarding a particular piece of hardware.

It's not that simple. There are variables involved when it comes to issues like that.

I agree, it would be nice to have an auto-upload feature where you can just post diagnostics whenever reporting an issue in any support forum, but if it would really be of help to anyone would depend on the issue and the variables within that issue. Outside of that, you're basically looking for a needle in a haystack provided the issue description itself isn't technical enough (see my initial post).

So in the end, you're left with the same amount of time spent probing/troubleshooting an issue most likely. Given that this is geared towards the less technical savvy individual, it would essentially be moot.

Hi,

I thought it was a nice idea :(

Careboo907: You're right! It don't know if this solution will help you so much people with custom computer. So we can improve it and link single components with single problems: probably your keyboard or your mouse are not the reason that your wi-fi doesn't work... I think we must think carefully the problem of the information architecture.

Darkcrimson: Sorry, but I don't understand the problems you're raising (my English it's not good as I would). Is the problem to issue all the hardware pieces? Of course (Rome wasn't built in a day) it can take long time, but if everyone can easy issue a hardware piece, then it would be faster. And we can think a system to do this: after x time (one day) can appear a pop-up asking if the problem is solved (and with which solution if more than one). If the user says yes, automatically problem and hardware components are linked. And maybe some Ubuntu partners will help us to issue their components.
And yes, we're searching a needle in a haystack. But we're doing every time we're solving a problem by googling it. So at the end, what I propose it's try to understand a system to make it automatically. So for make this we need (a lot of) ordered information and some criteria to make it relevant or not in a search.


I think ubuntu community it's a very important part of ubuntu as OS. So I think it'll be nice to link them. On the other hand I think in the forums there are some "problems" with repeated questions, and different solutions: so it will be more useful classify the threads (there's people working on this and I don't want to despise their job). I think a useful way to do it is by: problems/users levels/hardware components involved/software involved. So with this (easy) way to solve problems, everyone can solve problems and less people will ask for solved questions.

Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Victorfancelli

I think ubuntu community it's a very important part of ubuntu as OS. So I think it'll be nice to link them. On the other hand I think in the forums there are some "problems" with repeated questions, and different solutions: so it will be more useful classify the threads (there's people working on this and I don't want to despise their job). I think a useful way to do it is by: problems/users levels/hardware components involved/software involved. So with this (easy) way to solve problems, everyone can solve problems and less people will ask for solved questions.

Thanks!

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The one thing you'll find after answering a few hundred questions, is that there are usually several ways to solve a problem, and several ways to ask a question that has essentially been asked a couple of dozen times already. That's why there is Ask ubuntu, they don't tolerate repeated questions on the same subject, or any discussion that may wander off topic, as quite often happens here.