What are we doing wrong?

[Daniel Bo]

Shaun,

Unless a system operates exactly the way a user expects it to, users
will need to read the help files. We have determined through years of
forum and IRC comments that yes, people need help -- that Ubuntu
doesn't operate the way they expect it to. Few use the help, though,
because they don't really expect it to have answers or even understand
that it exists.

A first-run help system will:
1) Let new users know that help exists off-line;
2) Introduce common problems on the very first page in order to let
the new user know that answers to these problems exist;
3) Identify that there really IS a help system for other, less common
problems; and
4) Not appear on the second and later logins, thus not nagging anyone.
You can't nag if you only say it once in a nice way.

Lots of programs have a "tip on start-up" that's configurable to
display or not. The existence of these tips doesn't make the programs
unintuitive or naggy.

Dan