Fedora usability : a new project?

[Rick Stuart]

I welcome this idea!  I have asked many folks about what they like and 
dis like about Linux and I only get prejudiced statements.  If you sit 
someone ( a familiar and comfortable user of Windows) in front of your 
pride and joy 64-bit Fedora Core 5 install and invite them to try it 
out, they will fail to see any value.  If you help them find their way 
to stuff, they will certainly hit a brick wall that you have to fix by 
opening a terminal window, and then it's all over.

Here are a couple of suggestions:

Provide an option to configure users with sufficient privileges so that 
they can enter their OWN password for administrative access instead of 
ROOT's.  ( /usr/bin/system-config-* linked to "consolehelper" )  For a 
good model, check out UBUNTU......sorry about your toes.  Something like 
/etc/consolehelpers a-la /etc/sudoers.

I really like YUM, but I REALLY think that it sucks to explain it to 
users who are new to Linux.  Package manager is nice, but then there is 
that pesky root password requirement....."So, I'll just log in as root 
so I don't have to type that password!"  It is miserably slow.    Does 
it even connect to YUM?  I am not seeing all the available packages I 
can see with 'yum list available'.  If that's not the right tool, then 
why is it on the menu under 'Add/Remove software'?  Don't make me say 
the U-word.

Give me better Themes choices.  That is a big deal...and...UBUNTU is not 
any better....

FIX GNOME's SCREENLOCK!!!!  I want the slideshow to be configurable like 
KDE's....It USED to be!

Make wireless drop dead obvious.  I hate to say it, but Windows has that 
down.  MOST real users are going to be on laptops and Fedora is NOT 
ready for them.

That's all I can think of right now.  I have poured on the gasoline and 
I am waiting for the match...hurry, the gasoline is giving me a rash.  
Oh, wait!!  One more....give up on the default mail-tool being 
evolution.  Thunderbird!

Rick Stuart