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First, admission: I haven't used openSUSE welcome screen.

Basically, it's about having a program that would replace that welcome screen, by interactively showing new users the basics of using a KDE desktop.

The purpose I see to such a thing is an easy way to get new users accustomed to a different workflow in Linux and KDE. It should only the most basic stuff to allow a user to surf the net and write documents, and show some of the prominent features such as KRunner, desktops, activites and notifications. It should show examples of use for each.

For example, such tour would start by an arrow pointing at the K Menu and a comics balloon saying something like:
"When pressed, this button presents the applications on the computer, as well as file system places.
It is similar to MS Windows Start Menu."

Then it would change to "There are five tabs:". Then the menu would open (of its own), and going over each tab, there would be a brief explanation of it. Explanations can also be accompanied by a recorded voice reading it (Or use synthesized voice).

Another example is showing KRunner: something like popping a balloon saying "KRunner is an interface using text. It has many capabilities. Bring it up by pressing alt+F2" whence an animation showing the keyboard and alt+F2 pressed be shown, then KRunner would appear and the demonstration would continue.
When demonstrating the calculator, a calculation would be written into KRunner to show how it is done; When demonstrating starting an application, again an name would be written into KRunner and an application chosen to start.

So, what do you think?

As well as to get users acquanted with how to use their desktop in a social or semantic way. I like it!

The problem is - will it have to be redone with every version? We'll have to think how this may be implemented.

Actually that's a good idea. I think this should especially cover some things like changing wallpaper and screen saver so the user feels comfortable when using KDE SC.

It should be also available in nearly every supported language. Hardly any KDE beginner wants to read such an introduction in a foreign language.

I'm all go for exposing features, but I wonder if this is the way to go about it. I prefer letting the user explore, in their own direction, rather then walking them through on a specific path.
For example, exposing KRunner could be done with a plasmoid in the panel next to the menu, instead of having some notification or another stating, "Press Alt+F2 for the Run Command dialogue!"

@Madman: I've been trying to convert my mother to Kubuntu She doesn't want to explore. She wants to boot up the computer and check her email, read and write documents, and that's it.
In fact, I as well have a limited will to explore. I like KDE a lot, I enjoy using it - but that's the thing. I want to use my computer. My precious time (to me, of course) is devoted for other things than exploring KDE, so that when I find a way to do something, I stick to it. Then I might accidently find a better way to do the same thing and think to myself - if only I had known this earlier.

Exploration is something anyone might do, if they have the will for it. But if they hadn't, they would just stick to that which they already know (Sometimes, MS Windows).
I'm not sure I understood the KRunner plasmoid thing, though.

I think there's an additional benefit of organizing the strong aspects of workflow in KDE when presenting it to others this way - hopefully it would make it easier to convert people to use KDE. It's supposed to be a very easy way to say "It's helpful, it's (really!) good, and you'll have guidance on how to use it - do you need more?"

And returning to my mother issue - I believe it would have been easier for me to tell her something like "Just try it once", and then she would have seen an introduction which would have gotten her surfing the net in no time. Then she might have actually started using KDE on Linux for surfing the net. She would have known her way around, without me telling her - now do this, now press alt-F2 and type internet, etc.

Well, that's the way I see it. Mainly as a method to expand the regular user base.

It might be helpful to add that I think that presenting Linux as a complement to MS Windows rather than as an alternative is a better approach, now that I think of it. Linux is great for networks, the Internet, and personally I find the music and movies experience good as well. It would take a lot to make it work with MS Office documents on par when working on MS Windows with MS Office. And games of course - these are built almost exclusively for MS Windows. But this is what most people do with their computers - Internet, documents, games and maybe multimedia. So when someone want to just surf the net and read docs or pdfs, he should bring up Linux fast and just do it. When s/he need to write something - let him bring up MS Windows. This way might bring more users to use Linux, part-time. And if they enjoy it enough, they would spend more time using it than MS Windows.

Turned out I wrote a lot more than I originally intended to. Hope I do not intimidate

P.S. Forgot to mention that I think the introduction should be optional, of course. And would run one time or by demand only. So that these familiar with KDE would not have to go over it again and again And these who like to explore can just skip it and have fun.
The same infra structure could in principle be used to introduce new features in new releases, and maybe even be personalized to introduce features more commonly used than others by the user. First let's get it going

(The KRunner Plasmoid thing: click on a button in the panel and a KRunner-like bar comes up that you type in to search)

As it happens, when I wanted to get my mother using the KDE desktop on Linux, I just plopped a bunch of icons on the desktop that were like, "Firefox", "E-mail", "Instant Messaging" etc., since then her most common tasks would be quick at hand and for other tasks (she seldom uses a word processor, for example), she could find it easily in the very-windows-like menu. She's already familiar with OpenOffice, Firefox, Kontact and other stuff from Windows anyway, so the names weren't a problem.

Windows has given us so many problems anyway, so... I think the next computer we get, I'll install Kubuntu 10.4 - most of what she does (including desktop publishing, thanks to the new KWord ) can be done in Linux anyway...