Partitioning language needs resimplification
| Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltix |
New
|
Undecided
|
Unassigned | ||
| ubiquity (Ubuntu) |
Fix Released
|
Undecided
|
Unassigned | ||
Bug Description
Binary package hint: ubiquity
The partitioning page has evolved substantially since its initial design, and I think it needs to be revisited in terms of the language used and how the options are presented.
As it stands today, I see at least the following issues:
- It contains radio buttons for options where there is no alternative. For example, if there is only one hard disk, the user is presented with a (preselected) radio button indicating the choice.
- Even where there is a choice, the presentation of nested radio buttons is confusing to the eye. It's not very clear that this is a secondary choice. I'm not sure what cue is missing, but it doesn't feel quite right. I expect mpt would have input here.
- The language could be clarified. The word "Guided" is unnecessary. I think the "use entire disk" would be clearer as "erase entire disk".
- Disk selection is cryptic. The user should not be presented with SCSI IDs, Linux device names, etc. The disk size, vendor and model are useful however. If there is only one hard disk in the system, I question whether any description is needed at all. The idea of choosing a disk may not need to be presented at all in this case. I am interested in mpt's opinion here as well.
| Matt Zimmerman (mdz) wrote | #1 |
| Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt) wrote | #2 |
| Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt) wrote | #3 |
| TerryG (tgalati4) wrote | #4 |
| Changed in ubiquity: | |
| status: | New → Confirmed |
| Changed in ubiquity (Ubuntu): | |
| status: | Confirmed → Fix Released |
I agree with Matt's comments, with the proviso that "Erase entire disk" might be confusing unless you mention what's going in its place. Even then it would be confusing if the disk is blank (there's nothing to erase), so that would need a different string.
Most importantly, I think, it's not clear why you're being asked "How do you want to partition the disk?" in the first place. Is there another operating system on one of the disks already? If so, say so! Include its name (e.g. "Windows XP") if the migration code recognizes it, or call it "Another system" and "the other system" otherwise. It's difficult to understand the partitioning slider without naming the things you're allocating space to.
For example:
------------
This computer is currently running Windows XP. Do you want to keep it alongside Ubuntu?
(*) Erase Windows XP, replacing it with Ubuntu
( ) Keep it, so I can choose between them at startup
[disk choice here if there's more than one disk]
How much disk space should be reserved for each system?
[partitioning slider, with both systems named]
( ) Something more complicated
[advanced partitioning appears here if selected]
------------
The problem with the nested radio button (apart from there being only one of them) is that it is not indented enough. Ideally, its left edge should be exactly aligned with the left edge of the label of the parent radiobutton. Unfortunately this is very difficult in GTK, which I reported as a bug last month. <http://