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USBGuard / usbguard

USBGuard is a software framework for implementing USB device authorization policies (what kind of USB devices are authorized) as well as method of use policies (how a USB device may interact with the system)
https://usbguard.github.io/
GNU General Public License v2.0
1.12k stars 138 forks source link

Improve Installation Process and Documentation for New Users #632

Open nickt28 opened 3 months ago

nickt28 commented 3 months ago

As a web developer new to Linux systems and console usage, I encountered significant difficulties installing USBGuard on the latest version of Ubuntu 24.04 from scratch. These challenges are likely to deter many potential users from this tool. I'd like to share my experience and suggest improvements to make USBGuard more accessible to newcomers.

Issues encountered:

  1. Incomplete or implied instructions in the installation guide
  2. Incorrect directory paths in some commands (e.g., "/etc/usbguard/rules.conf" instead of "/usr/local/etc/usbguard/rules.conf")
  3. Missing steps to create necessary directories (e.g., "sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/etc/usbguard/rules.d")
  4. Daemon start errors
  5. Linking errors requiring additional steps (e.g., "sudo ldconfig /usr/local/lib")
  6. Build errors
  7. Permission errors

The process took around 3 hours and was spent resolving consecutive errors, which was frustrating. Without the help of Claude Sonnet AI, I would have been completely lost.

Suggestions for improvement:

  1. Create an automated installation script for just 1 or 2 popular distributions (e.g., Ubuntu 24.04)
  2. Provide a more detailed, step-by-step installation guide that includes all necessary commands and potential troubleshooting steps
  3. Include a "common issues" section in the documentation
  4. Implement more user-friendly error messages in the installation process
  5. Add a "quick start" guide for beginners
  6. Regularly test the installation process on fresh machines to catch potential issues

I appreciate the effort put into developing this tool and hope this feedback helps improve its accessibility. Thank you for considering these suggestions.