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A video by The Linux Cast on the debian website and how it needs to be more user friendly. (tilvids.com)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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TLDW from ChatGPT:

The video is a critique of the Debian Linux distribution's website and its user experience, primarily focusing on the difficulties in finding and downloading the appropriate ISO images. The presenter praises Debian's stability and community but criticizes the website's design, stating that it's not user-friendly, especially for new Linux users. The video highlights how the website layout, multiple clicks, and confusing file tree structure can make it challenging to locate the desired ISO images, particularly for the live installer versions. The presenter suggests that while improvements have been made, the ISO download process can still be convoluted and feels like the distribution is not encouraging new users. The overall message conveys a desire for Debian to make its ISOs more easily accessible and user-friendly.

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[–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

Kind of. My criticism is that a new user will end up with that net installer without realizing it, which may not be what they want, confusing them further. Bypassing the website is not a good solution, there's important information there like the install guide. ISO downloads are only one example of how the website is hard to navigate, even if they manage to skip that step it's only going go make it harder in the future.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    I see, so then there are two options: 1) Make the full offline installer the default, or 2) put all options side by side and explain the difference.

    The first option isn't good because any default will not fit everyone, there will always be someone looking for what isn't the default. The second option would just be confusing for the person who knows nothing about computers. "I have to read a wall of text to decide what to download? This is too much!"

    I mean, there's no way to win here. Is there any OS avaliable that can have one installer that fits exactly everyone, or a way to have a list to choose from if the user knows nothing about the choices?

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    No, the best option is to have a usable website like every other distro. That way anyone can choose the release they want.

    Nobody has an issue with there being a recommended download, that in itself is a good thing.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago

    There is something "clunky" about the website, but to be fair, the first page has a big button to download the installer, which leads to a page where the first link is the version most people want, the second link leads to instructions how to get it onto a usb (or cd/dvd) for linux/windows/mac, and clearly visible a link to all the other versions of the installer that people might want, with explanations what they are for.
    For me it's hard to put my finger on why the website is bad, all the information is there. I do agree that it just somehow feels bad, but I don't understand why.

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