3 small bones to pick. I think these are things that would improve the usability of unRAID to less technical people...

 

 

1) The Cache disk mover schedule... Not everyone knows what "40 3 * * *" means... I know cron commands, but that's not something most folks needing a cheap NAS need to know or learn. Just some radio style buttons or dropdowns would be nice here.

 

2) "Min free space" - This is irritating to me even though I know what it means. Be more clear about what type of number goes in there. Gigabytes? Megabytes? Bits? My first initial reaction was "What the hell is supposed to go here" an empty box for your number, and then a selection next to it of "GB or MB" would be more than enough for everyone.

 

3) Included and Excluded disks. Instead of having to type "disk1,disk2" etc... Just some check boxes?

These are all good ideas.

Thanks. Those are the things that really had me scratching my head when I first got started with this thing.... I LOVE it now... but I think they could expand to a new more nooby market if the setup were a bit more simple

I'd like to add my voice in support of those suggestions.  (especially 2 & 3)

 

1) I don't even try!  I just launch the mover when I'm done copying a batch...

2) I went through several attempts during my configuration- that many zeros run together without commas....

3) Seems so intuitive- my license allows me X# drives, offer X# of checkboxes.

In my opinion if you want to attract Windows users to unRAID it must have a click-able user interface (buttons, check boxes).

 

Maybe it's a idea to introduce a basic mode and a expert mode.

Maybe it's a idea to introduce a basic mode and a expert mode.

No, to many options can be a bad thing.  Not to mention that most "basic" users are going to inevitably enable expert mode and screw something up.

It's not a "linux users vs windows users" thing.

 

unRAID is a commercial for profit product that people pay money for. (For the most part)

 

The settings aren't complicated but the setup is complex. There's no reason for me to need to log into forums and ask and get 10 different answers about what kind of number goes in there. Just put it in MB or GB and make it clear.

 

I think this is a simple enough product that you shouldn't need to read a wiki to know to type in "disk1,disk2" etc etc.... Just put some check boxes there. If it's easy to use, people will use it. You'll make more money that way. I promise.

Maybe it's a idea to introduce a basic mode and a expert mode.

No, to many options can be a bad thing.  Not to mention that most "basic" users are going to inevitably enable expert mode and screw something up.

 

Yes your probably right but it is nice when a more experienced user can tweak his unRAID server a bit more. Maybe when enabling expert mode show a warning use at your own risk or something.

 

It's not a "linux users vs windows users" thing.

 

No, your right but if i let a friend or my mom configure unRAID then we have a problem. They know how to use Windows, Word and that kind of stuff. Configure unRAID... is a no go.

 

I think it's a good thing when unRAID uses more buttons and check boxes. Maybe place a "i" after every difficult setting with some information. The idea is good.

It's not a "linux users vs windows users" thing.

 

unRAID is a commercial for profit product that people pay money for. (For the most part)

 

The settings aren't complicated but the setup is complex. There's no reason for me to need to log into forums and ask and get 10 different answers about what kind of number goes in there. Just put it in MB or GB and make it clear.

 

I think this is a simple enough product that you shouldn't need to read a wiki to know to type in "disk1,disk2" etc etc.... Just put some check boxes there. If it's easy to use, people will use it. You'll make more money that way. I promise.

I was not arguing with you about the improvements you propose.  I was talking about the "expert" vs. mode, which is a bad idea in my opinion.

I'm with ya. I don't think there's a need for expert mode.... it's a very simple thing to configure, but misleading and undocumented...

I'm with ya. I don't think there's a need for expert mode....

 

So i guess a bad idea.

The gentleman has a point. As a new user and someone with out a Linux or programing background this would be a big help. It took me 30 min to get the files onto the thumb drive, part of the problem"Then run it by clicking on Start/Run; in the dialog box enter:" I had to enter "cmd" in the run box to open he command prompt then type in the command. For a newbie of my level you litterly have to dumb it down to the point of the directions on the config page. Once I got to that point I flew through. I was able to install unmenu and mymain. Once I got to that level I was cooking. Rajahal's builds page rocks. One of the problems I have is there is so much information I get lost in looking or read it once but forget where it was posted. Also there is alot that can be done with unraid which is great but there is no roadmap or flow chart to point me in which direction I want to go. What I think the original poster was getting at was something like what i have run into while AVR receiver shopping. On some websites when you get to the spec it has the term for example RMS linked to its definition. Or when selecting user shares a little bubble popped up with examples of the terms or applications. Even if it was done with screen shots and written in green for beginner, yellow for intermediate, and red for pro. My two cents anyway. I wish I had the know how to write it up but hey Im learning as I go. I do appraciate all the help I get from the people who understand this explaining it over and over to those of us who don't or at least pointing me in the right direction.

As a new user, I agree. I find answers to my questions but then have to find out which answer is the correct answer. Sometimes the info is out of date and not to be used. You have an UNofficial Wiki, Official, Server install, Manual, UNofficial manual, and then the all growing FAQ's. That FAQ has a ton of information in it, but there are so many links to other links to other links you'll actually forget about the FAQ since you'll be lost in the forums. I think the Wiki itself should be UP TO DATE (live) and have all the pertinent information right there, no links to links to links. Maybe a technical writer is needed?

 

 

As a new user, I agree. I find answers to my questions but then have to find out which answer is the correct answer. Sometimes the info is out of date and not to be used. You have an UNofficial Wiki, Official, Server install, Manual, UNofficial manual, and then the all growing FAQ's. That FAQ has a ton of information in it, but there are so many links to other links to other links you'll actually forget about the FAQ since you'll be lost in the forums. I think the Wiki itself should be UP TO DATE (live) and have all the pertinent information right there, no links to links to links. Maybe a technical writer is needed?

 

The situation is improving with 5.0-beta3 which has a help system in place that's linked to the wiki.  The reason there are not more complex UI controls has to do with the "home-grown" html templating system used in all version of unRAID before 5.0 (read: a pain-in-the-neck to implement & test).  Version 5 uses php which is quite a bit easier to set these kinds of controls up.