First Principles For A New User

[bdbcat]

mvweebles...


So, let us get specific.
Regarding your suggestion: "3. Pre-build a base chart file structure. Give some automatic priority so they don't get lost if user loads too many chart files."


I'm serious, now. Would you be interested in proposing a specific chart file structure for new users, and moderating a discussion that may result from same? How exactly would that priority scheme work? Consider the platforms, or for simplicity, just start with Windows, some 65 % of our user base, and the most likely new user platform.



I'll be happy to stay out of it until a consensus is reached.


Attentively..
Dave

[mvweebles]

The OP is admittedly a novice user. And you want him to dig further as a pre-Alpha user? You're kidding, right?

Guys - you are too far down your own rabbit hole. You simply do not understand the frustration of many. You act on suggestions you understand and I'm sure you get really animated about adding new Plug-Ins. But making the SW approachable does not seem high on your priorities. Just say so - "OpenCPN is for cheap folks who don't mind spending a ton of time figuring it out. And oh-by-the-way, the developer nerds have come up with all sorts of plug-ins that you won't find in commercial nav software, some of which are actually useful."

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by bdbcat

I'm serious, now. Would you be interested in proposing a specific chart file structure for new users, and moderating a discussion that may result from same? How exactly would that priority scheme work? Consider the platforms, or for simplicity, just start with Windows, some 65 % of our user base, and the most likely new user platform.

Look, I know you're just trying to challenge me so you can say "See? We asked him to help and all he has is hot air!" Truth is, I have no idea what that means beyond I know that many, many software packages have an early selection of a base-build or a custom build. Me moderating? I'm the wrong guy - I have used navigation software almost every day for the last 6-months (OpenCPN + o-charts, iNavX, Navionics, CMAP, Coastal Explorer). I have been cruising relatively poorly charted areas so consult multiple sources. I suppose I am a power-user of nav software, but far from an expert in any one. But if the software works for me, it's a very good sign it's a good piece of software. Someone like me could play an important role in whether a piece of nav software is workable, but I'm far from the right guy to moderate a discussion.

Look, I know you are coming from a good place on this. You really need to shoulder-surf a new user. Watch him go through the screens. Watch him open-up the user manual and see what happens. The watch him open-up Coastal Explorer and build ENCs (US) or CMAPs (Central/South America - whatever). Spend more time on the GUI and less time on plug-ins. SPend more time on the initial UX. Compare to other packages out there. Come up with a base install that would work for 80% of the users out there, or at least identify the region where the user is and do the base build there ("Are you in the US? ....... install ENCs...").

This really isn't so hard. I know my messaging sucks but frankly, no one gives the developers the tough love that's needed. Folks just get frustrated and meander off to something else without saying a word.

[bdbcat]

Weebles...


"The OP is admittedly a novice user. And you want him to dig further as a pre-Alpha user? You're kidding, right?"


Let's be accurate. We asked the OP for a screenshot.


We actually want you, or experienced users like you, to pre-review the Alpha releases. We learn a lot that way, with more-or-less immediate fold back into the release code.



But quibbles aside, I begin to appreciate your point of view wrt novices here. Shoulder-surfing, as you say, is a good thing to tweak a novice UX. Sadly, it is not so practical in any methodical or consistent way, given our resources and geographical distribution.



We do have a couple of devs who conduct ad-hoc seminars on OCPN for new users, mostly at yacht clubs and association meetings. I personally have given many, most with new users pecking away at laptops following along with the presentation.
Spoiler: The number one question we field is: "How can I get this going on a daylight visible chart plotter in my cockpit?"


And of course there are numerous You-Tube videos on OCPN installation and startup, some of them quite good.



So, for the novice soloing for the first time, there are resources available with some small investment of time. That is all we ask.



Finally, a request:
I am the DevLead for OpenCPN. That makes me the equivalent of CEO, Chief Engineer, and Marketing manager for OCPN. Please beat up on me, and not the team of talented and generous developers and writers donating their family time, energy, and real resources supporting the project.


Thanks
Dave

[Southernsunfish]

Thank you all for your replies and advice. I have a few comments to make to try and explain my predicament a little better...

1. My comments are not those of a "new user" of computers or navigation software. They are the comments of someone who is new to Opencpn. I have plenty of experience with navigation software, making my own charts, NMEA 0183, multiplexers, GPS etc. I started around 1995.

My problem is probably not an issue for experienced users but it is very, very real to me and I suspect others.

I have not explained myself very well so I will try again....

First I acknowledge OpenCPN is a very powerful and useful program. I am sick of proprietary navigation systems that not only lock up data, but make me buy it again and again. That is why I want again the freedom I had in 1995...

But OpenCPN needs to have a more friendly and fast way of enticing potential new users. It is not alone in this matter. In Linux space there are any number of extremely powerful and efficient applications for almost anything ......but they are unusable because the developer writes impenetrable documentation and people are too time poor to learn at least enough to get enough results quickly enough to justify further investment of their valuable time.

To put that another way, you need to give potential new users a quick small return on their investment of their time so that they can make the decision to invest more time to learn more.

I cannot risk very much time to try and learn OpenCPN, at least initially. If I like what I see when I install OpenCPN then I will continue.

So when I open it now, I get a muddy dark screen with tiny, tiny, menus with tiny tags that are too small for me too read in an office setting and would be gimpossible to read on a moving yacht at 0300 in bad weather with a frightened crew looking on.

So yes, "settings" are represented by a gear wheel. it is a tiny tag in grey on black menu on a muddy dark screen. But under that tag do we find anything about the display brightness, contrast and a daylight readable color scheme? No.

Please consider finding an absolute beginner who is not a computer science major and watch how the things that are simple for you are not understood.

I say again that the joke about the new user perplexed by the command "press any key" is not a joke at all.

I wish you well in your very worthwhile project.

[bcn]

In your case there is an issue for sure - and the forum is the place to present it, looking for a solution.


The issue is not common. So guessing in place.


What we would need is:
- a screen shot to show what it is about
- the system you are on (HW and SW, no need to go into details for the HW)
- version of OCPN



If the user interface is too small, one more check perhaps:
at Options|Display|Advanced you will find the physical screen width detected. Is that the correct one? If not you can correct it.


OpenCPN tries hard to get the correct screen size and resolution to otimize the size of the GUI and of the chart objects.
This does work ok in perhaps 95% of the cases, but not always.


For those who need to correct those settings, go to
Options|UserInterface and you will find sliders to adopt the sizes to your preferences.


"Muddy dark screen" - are you perhaps not in "Day Mode"?
Touching accidently the F5 key? Or the moon/sun icon of the tool bar?


Hubert

[stevead]

@SouthernSunfish.

In the time it took you to write your post you could have taken a screenshot of your PC showing your problem, as requested a few times previously.

As it is, none of us can visualise the problem and offer any advice. You are not helping yourself.

But under that tag do we find anything about the display brightness, contrast and a daylight readable color scheme? No.

OpenCPN runs on PC's albeit with the limitation of the user's general purpose Operating System, some which have integrated monitors (eg. laptops) and others that have external monitors (HDMI. VGA). Whilst it is possible programmatically to adjust brightness and maybe contrast for integrated and HDMI monitors, it is far easier to use the appropriate keyboard keys or monitor buttons.

I don't wish to talk on behalf of the developers but I think there are other features that many would deem a higher priority.

[rgleason]

Please with opencpn closed issue:


$ rm ~/.opencpn/opencpn.conf


Then re-start OpenCPN and advise.
Provide a screenshot attachment please.
It will help to diagnose the problem.
I have provided a link to instructions below detailing how to do that.


I can tell you that you now have garnered the full attention of many of the development team, which is probably caused by hitting the ECDIS button or some obscure install error.

[wholybee]

I suggested these before, and I will repeat them, as someone who provides support to users of OpenCPN and all kinds of software.

Wizards.
A wizard to install charts. When running the wizard, the chart directory etc. should be hidden from the user. Just create that directory someplace it makes sense for the particular OS. The wizard should at least be able to install NOAA charts or O-Charts with zero knowledge of how charts work. The user should just draw a rectangle on the screen, or choose from a list of locations .

A Wizard to setup a GPS. It should list a few popular options. Either a USB puck type, a NMEA wifi connection, or what model of converter they have. From that it should try to make it work without any knowledge of com ports, IP addresses or TCP ports, or /dev/

And then a quick on screen getting started tutorial on how to create a route and activate it, change chart zoom levels, etc.

[rgleason]

@Southernsunfish
Please note that your opencpn.conf file is probably screwed up!!! It needs to be removed, as a beginning step to fixing this failed installation.

Originally Posted by rgleason

Please with opencpn closed issue:

$ rm ~/.opencpn/opencpn.conf

Then re-start OpenCPN and advise.
Provide a screenshot attachment please.
It will help to diagnose the problem.
I have provided a link to instructions below detailing how to do that.

I can tell you that you now have garnered the full attention of many of the development team, which is probably caused by hitting the ECDIS button or some obscure install error.

[rgleason]

@Southernsunfish

I cannot risk very much time to try and learn OpenCPN, at least initially. If I like what I see when I install OpenCPN then I will continue.

You risk being considered an un-serious troll, or another Coastal Explorer lover.

[gonesail]

i run ubuntu linux and have zero problems with open CPN. have used it for years now. then again i am an experienced computer user. i just wish there were more charts available .. especially inland waters in Florida and the bahamas.

[rgleason]

We've improved the initial "Manual Basic" page here
Specific and Constructive suggestions are welcome.
We will be enlarging the initial screenshot and comments to make it more legible.

[rgleason]

@Southernsunfish


The first page of the User Manual Basic is the "Quick Start Guide" you suggest.


Southernsunfish wrote:

The problem is simple - there needs to be a quick start guide, or if there already is, I can't find it in the overly voluminous manuals. There also needs to be a plain vanilla install configuration that is daylight readable by anyone. The opening screen on my install appears to be a night brightness level with grey on grey texts that are impossible to read.

We have responded to the problem "night brightness level with grey..." your installation has failed for some reason. With opencpn closed, please

$ rm ~/.opencpn/opencpn.conf

Then re-start OpenCPN and advise.

[Southernsunfish]

First discovery - the screen display control.


I aplogise for not providing a screen shot of the muddy grey and brown screen that greets me when I start the system however I have made a discovery!


If you press the (Tiny and hard to see) day and night tab once, you get an almost black night screen display. Push it again and you are back with the muddy grey palette. But push it a third time and you get a daylight readable chart display!


Folks, this is very clever, but it is a non standard type of behaviour! How many potential users give up like I did? Interface design standards and average users expect a tab to be binary ie: two choices e.g day/night, on/off. They dont expect trinary choices of three outcomes!


So I push the tab once, I get night colors, I push it again, I get back the muddy screen, I don't expect to get a third option if I push the key again....so nobody pushes the key again, instead they scratch their heads and complain like me!!!


Sinple fix: start in daylight colors and perhaps have a drop down list of the three (or more) displays.


I will persist...