FAQ (questions asked by the end-user)

Here is the current list of questions that I have been asked after delivering and setting up the laptop. The laptop was installed January 29, 2006.

I can't control the mouse, it seems to have a mind of its own.

Phone call log with UG on February 1, 2006:
Me: Please tell me what you see on your screen.
UG: I see applications in the upper left, some blue boxes in the lower right, the time in the upper right. I hear music.. can you get the radio on this?
Me: You can hear some radio programs via the internet but we can talk about that after we get you working again.. what you see in the middle of the screen and on the taskbar.
UG: Taskbar?
Me: The taskbar is the bottom bar on the screen.. the blue boxes (desktop switcher) are on the taskbar.
UG: Ok. I see the website that I was looking at in the middle. On the bottom bar I see Epiphany Web Browser [53].

He had inadvertantly opened 53 web browser instances that more than likely ate up all of the laptop's resources. I instructed him how to close the windows with the mouse.

Here are the explanations/concepts that were necessary to troubleshoot the call. I like to use windowsish terminology when describing things in an attempt to use terms that most computer users will understand. This way people other than me (or people who know linux) can help out.

• the desktop (where he sees trashcan, computer, etc).
• the top and bottom panels (applications menu, time, virtual desktop selector, etc).
• what a window is.
• the _ + x boxes in the upper right hand corner of each window.
• how to read the bottom panel (taskbar in windows speak) to determine how many windows he had open.

Time on call: 45 minutes.