Text content of the new website


_wb_

Microbe
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Perhaps it's a good idea to start a thread where we can brainstorm a bit about the text we will put on the website (as opposed to, say, its style, images, and organization).

Of course the detailed technical specs are what they are, not much creativity required for that.

There are already some short blobs of text on the current Pyra web site to describe what you can do with it and what the raw specs actually mean. So that's more or less covered, or at least it's a good start.

But I think we could use some longer texts too, not on the front page, but for the interested reader. Texts about the philosophy of the project, about its history, about the community, etc. They can be in the style of a manifesto, a mission statement, a short essay, a FAQ, an interview, a series of quotes, whatever.

I think this post I made a few days ago contains some useful elements for a 'Pyra manifesto':

http://boards.openpandora.org/topic/16587-what-will-pyra-replace-for-you/#entry343095

Also the Pandora history page (http://boards.openpandora.org/page/articles.html/_/general-information/the-history-of-the-pandora-r57) could help to make a 'Pyra history' or 'Pyra ancestry' page. It would have to be summarized, of course, and I think we would have to start earlier: at least with the GP2X but maybe even much deeper into the history of (computer) hacking in general. In a sense we are continuing the traditions that started at the MIT AI lab, the 8-bit and 16-bit demoscene, game console hackers and homebrewers, FOSS enthusiasts and Linux kernel hackers, etc. Some of us are old enough to be or have been part of some of that history and some of those scenes. The Pyra has the potential to become the new flagship device, the new preferred habitat, for hackers everywhere.

Please contribute your suggestions! Maybe we can write some texts collectively in this thread...
 
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Some questions that should be answered by the website, and how you might go about answering them

Who?

  • Hardware design by <names> <companies>
  • Software development by community, <notable names>
  • Commercialisation by <companies> (ED, Link, etc)
  • Customer support and suggestions by the community
  • Based on work by <FOSS projects> <various companies and standards organisations>

What?

  • List of specifications
  • Physical description of product
  • Bundled software
  • Potential use cases
  • Detailed photos

Why?

  • Privacy is important
  • The user should have full control of their property
  • Other mobile devices fail to meet the potential for handheld computation
  • A computer should be just as much for creation as consumption
  • The fewer adaptors you need while on the go, the better

Where?

  • Electronics manufacture in Germany
  • Case manufacture in Greece
  • This improves quality, reliability and ensures fair treatment of workers
  • International community.
  • Shops in Germany, France, The US and Japan

When (incl. dates)?

  • History of open consoles + community
  • History of pandora
  • History of iCP, iCP2
  • History of Pyra
  • Plans for Pyra
 
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Binky: Im finding myself thinking it could be even more to the bone. I want to be greeted by someone who knows me, rather than to find out how I am.

If im harsh i could as a customer take a disliking towards some of the points. They are presented sort of impersonal which means i could take objection. "Should be" is out. If instead it is presented as a convenience, that you can create, by and from someone the user is like, it becomes more personal.

#handheldpc, #games  #photography #audio  #technicalstuffs

First one is the generic one, explaining everything, then the most prominent use-cases seen by different demographics of users, at the very last is that off-turning stuff to everyone else, that the engineering mind looks for, and you scroll right through everything to get the facts.

And as an inquisitive person, i want to get right at the key questions first, what is it? That has to be first. How does it differ from what i know.  Who would do such a thing, is secondary. It brings plausibility to the notion of how it was done.

The adaptor point is a very good one. And its made very well too.

Fantastic point about presenting the community. And i think this excerpt from wb captures a point

(I failed a bit at adding a shorter lead-up. Could be a link to the longer text, or something, but thats not the point.)

" I am a little bit older, so i remember the advent of general purpose computing. in a reverse trend, basic computing has been taken away lately, with anti-social-social smart-unsmart features.

They give various reasons for these restrictions: anti-piracy, user-friendliness, security, etc. The most important reason is of course that they hope to get more profits out of it. In this context, a hacker-friendly, fully open handheld device, which is extremely versatile both in terms of hardware and in terms of software, is something of great value to me."

Having a picture of wb with this, familiarizes the community and effort of a developer much better than anything else. Because one can relate to it. Presenting each type of person with their take on things, explains something very integral. Namely what the community is about.

I had a go in this post, the below the fold is the good bit:

http://boards.openpandora.org/topic/16675-benefits-for-donators/page-2#entry345911/URL]

I think a campaign site should be presented as its own thing. Some quotes, a video, goals, info. Its all useful stuff, but not something you want in your face on the landing-page presentation.

Also one would want the campaign info available later on, as a reference, so if its off on its own it doesn't have to be removed or otherwise fall out of relevance to the intent of the landing page.

If the landing page presentation serves as a fantastic intro to the pyra, the campaign site follows from there.
 
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