I have recently had quite an experience getting a very technically savey computer user to set up a linux box. He is really smart, but is also really used to the microsoft windows world!
We had a lot of trouble installing "this or that" hardware, and often had to go to the dreaded "CLI" (Command Line Interface) to accomplish what we needed done. I actually like doing things CLI, but I am sure you all know that most windows users want to just point and click everything...
I finally got him to install "yuakuake" which is a terminal window that scrolls down from the top of your window screen when you hit F12. For him, this seemed to really make sense. You could just hit F12, type what needed to be done, then hit F12 again to get the interface out of your way...!
MY IDEA FOR KDE 4 ????
We need to include a button on the new taskbar which when clicked will "pop up" a terminal window. The button should be themable in the same way your taskbar is, and it should contain no graphics, only the letters "CLI" on it. The pop-up termainal window should only be about 3 inches tall and and should fill the width of about 75% of your screen size.
I think this one simple addition, if included BY DEFAULT (but removeable by the more adept user) would help the windows convert to enjoy the KDE experience and I think it would help them with the whole "terminal/command line" issue.
Imagine talking to a linux newbie by phone or by IM. Maybe you are helping them to set up some hardware or software. You need them to open a konsole window and type a few commands. Man it's impossible to get the newbie to understand what they need to do (and why) just to get a terminal window open....!!!! Instead you could just tell them "Do you see the letters 'CLI' on your taskbar? Click on that and type in....." MUCH MORE SIMPLE !!!!
I hope you all can see what I envision. I am at work so I'll try to draw a mock-up this evening when I get back to my Linux system.
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