[haiku-development] Re: Friendlier Optional Package installation
- From: pete.goodeve@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- To: haiku-development@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2011 15:11:54 -0700
Wow -- I'm a little surprised at all the hostility to the idea!
Guess you've all had bad web experiences.. [Yeah-- me too!]
But actually, it all seems to be a bit of a gut response to the thought
of an HTML based package manager. Which was not my suggestion at all!
What I'm putting forward is a simple browser front-end to
installoptionalpackage that might be a bit more comfortable to a new user
who has just installed from CD and wants easy access to packages that are
missing. It is specifically *not* intended as a path to full package
management, but just a tool to conveniently fit what's available at the
moment. (And BTW, if it is not clear, the browsing is all local. The
only network action is by installoptionalpackage.)
It is not "bloated" or slow (except when installoptional package itself
runs!). It's only about 100 lines of script, and WebPositive shows the page
in about a second from clicking the icon. It does require W+ and a language
interpreter (presumably Python in the end), but I'm assuming these will
*have* to be available on a release system. (They may not be in the
nightlies, but this is not intended as a solution for developers. The
command line app is always available.)
I won't take sides on whether a browser is useful for package access,
but Ryan has a very valid point that you want quick access to reviews,
comments, and so on regarding the packages you're interested in. This
really means web access, and it would be nice to have it all integrated.
[In passing, I consider Ubuntu's Synaptic an object lesson in how *not*
to do management! Installation itself may have to be slow, but not
collecting the information you need to decide to install.]
But back to the current proposal. Has anyone actually *tried* the
pilot app? I'd appreciate it if you do.
Thanks,
-- Pete --
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