Add install and working instructions to BOINC package.

[Ageless]

How about adding a (HTML perhaps) install instruction to the installer package, with screen shots of what does what, plus a readme file option when the installer is done, that explains what BOINC does, how it works and where to go to for help?

We still get people in the forums who install BOINC, then come complain that it takes up all their CPU cycles. Or those who install BOINC as a service and then complain that it continues to run when they do BOINC Manager->File->Exit.

If they get fair warning before they install the program, this can be nipped in the bud. Perhaps that the Installer Instructions can be linked to from the installer, before people go click Install. Perhaps that the readme file must always open when one clicks Finish on the last installer screen.

I'd be willing to help write these, if necessary.

[Eric Myers]

The install instructions, with screen shots, would best go in the wiki (User's Manual), but a link to it would not be a bad idea if it was optional, and only activated if a network connection existed at the time of the install. Perhaps it could be labeled "here is what we are doing to your computer..."

My experience is that nobody will read the README anyway, so why show it?

If you want to make sure new users get the point that BOINC will run on their computer in the background, make that a small check box. "I understand that BOINC will run continuously on my computer, even if it is idle while I am doing work " or some such.

Whether or not this is connected to the installer, writing this up in the wiki, or improving what is already there, would be very valuable.

[Ageless]

Replying to Eric Myers:

The install instructions, with screen shots, would best go in the wiki (User's Manual), but a link to it would not be a bad idea if it was optional, and only activated if a network connection existed at the time of the install. Perhaps it could be labeled "here is what we are doing to your computer..."

Add it as a file to the BOINC directory. Have it in some way local. Don't force people to look up everything on line, their program isn't constantly on line, is it? Give them something to look at, check, play with from their hard drive. Add it to BOINC Manager's Help menu. You can always link from the file to the Wiki and other helpful places.

Link to it from the Start->Programs->BOINC folder. Add the link to the readme file there as well. Don't name it readme, of course, but something interesting. All the things you always wanted to know about BOINC but were afraid to ask. (Sorry Mr. Allen ;-))

My experience is that nobody will read the README anyway, so why show it?

When someone comes to the forums with the every day question, demand, threat or faulty justification as to why he is now uninstalling BOINC, one can point him to his own BOINC directory and tell to go read the readme that was with the program all this time. At least with the installer automatically opening the file at the end of the install, you make sure people may know that file is there. Some will even read it now. And then not pollute the forums with their every day question etc.

Show it while BOINC is installing, in a slide show style. Think of installing a game, most of them show you in-game static shots of things you may encounter. Why can't BOINC do that?

[Eric Myers]

So this could be a set of web pages, shown by a browser, but using ​file://path/to/file rather than ​http://....

Can the installer send events to the browser to change the page at different stages of the install process?

[romw]

This might be better to have show up as part of launching BOINC Manager.

Games typically are not deployed as part of a network install, while BOINC can be.

[davea]

One thing possibly worth doing: when closing the Manager window, show a dialog saying something like "Closing this window doesn't stop BOINC computing. If you want to stop computing, then do xxx" (with a "don't show this again" checkbox)

[romw]

We have that as part of the exit dialog already.