"Installation instructions"?! Why do you think they call it
code?*
Unfortunately, the ReactOS project's installation instructions are a hidden treasure. I searched the
ReactOS.org home page (front page) using the strings "instruction", "installation", and "release notes". The search engine returned no results. Experienced software experimenters would look for installation instructions and release notes near the link to download the software.
Here's the secret to finding the elusive ReactOS installation instructions: near the top of the ReactOS.org home page there is a button marked "Download it!". Choose (click on) that button. The
ReactOS.org/download page will appear. No, there is still no link clearly marked "release notes", "installation instructions", or even marked "Don't Panic" (in friendly red letters). Look for the text "What now?! If you don't know what to do with the downloaded file...". Scroll down the page if necessary to find that text. Near that text will be a friendly blue button labeled "Just click here!" But isn't that the kind of thing Internet newbies are warned not to click?** Doesn't that cheery caption frighten away the newbies, the less confident, and the virus-phobic people? Despite all the good advice to the contrary, steel yourself and choose (click on) that button. The
Installing_ReactOS page in the ReactOS Wiki will appear.
Of course, the people most experienced with cool open source projects will overlook anything marked "If you don't know what to do...".
They are experienced! They already know how to turn an iso file into bootable media.** They know what to do: they look for something marked "installation instructions", "user manual", or "release notes". But in ReactOS Land (as it is today) the people with the most experience and skill with open source software will be the most frustrated with ReactOS.***
I recommend re-naming the ReactOS.org home page the
home page. The name "Front page" is so 1990s--very last century. Most of all, I strongly recommend placing friendly buttons labeled "installation instructions" and "release notes" right next to the "Download it!" button. Also, place additional such buttons right beneath the
Download page's "Download BootCD" and "Download LiveCD" buttons.
These better placed and labeled buttons will avoid much frustration on the part of the sort of people who could become the best fans of the ReactOS project.
* I borrowed this from the old programmer's joke, "Document my code?! Why do you think they call it
code?" The joke is a play on two meanings of the word "code"--what programmers write to instruct computers, and what people use to keep their messages secret.
** Don't computer virus experts tell us "Don't click on just anything"? Yes, I think that's what the experts tell us. Similarly, when we were tiny our mothers told us not to stick just anything into our mouths. Some advice is evergreen.
*** Among their skills is creating bootable USB thumb drives. Maybe if the instructions were easier to find, these skilled open source software users would find the instruction "ReactOS is not able to boot from USB devices yet" before trying all their tricks to boot from a USB device and failing. Maybe.