[openbeos] Re: on SoftwareValet for OBOS
- From: François Revol <revol@xxxxxxx>
- To: openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 14:35:19 +0100 (MET)
> It would be wonderful if I could install new software *directly* in
> package manager. Have you seen QNX package manager? Well, my ideal one
I think that's Software Valet is (was) meant for
>
> would be something like that.
> Package manager should:
> 1. list all new software on the internet (with a little description and
>
> screenshot)
The simplest way IMO is either parse the bebits.com page :)
or better, ask them to make a backend cgi, that would return say an XML file
describing the different softs new since the last connection.
> 1a. list all software installed to computer.
> 2. be able to update installed software
> 3. (this is most needed) be able to UNINSTALL previously installed
> software
> 4. it should be dependency-free (one package is not dependent on
> other)
This one is _quite_ hard to do... software will _always_ need other things to
work, even if it's only liblayout or SpLocale... as long as it's not installed
by default (and even in this case... you can't assume everyone has the file
/boot/beos/system/servers/net_server and that it is used for inst.)
Maybe we could have some file (say /etc/pkg-index)
which would list installed packages installed, the way to get the version
number (most of the time /bin/version $app_file , but it could be like
"grep 'SCRIPT_VERSION' $app| cut -d= -f2" in case the ackage only consist of
a shell script), uninstall info...
could be either a unique file with section or a folder with one file per app
it could look like:
APPNAME=NiftyPlayer
APP_FILE=nplay
PKG_NAME=nplay-latest-bin.zip
# maybe we could use a %v scheme, where %v is the version: nplay-%v-bin.zip
INSTALL_PATH=/boot/home/nplay
VERSION_CMD="version -n $app_file"
UNINSTALL_CMD="rm -R $INSTALL_PATH"
LANGS='en,fr' # available languages
OS_DEPEND='R5'
PLATFORM='x86'
DEPEND='MediaKit:+5.0.0' # just an example: Media Kit with version from R5 and
up
> 5. create icon to the desktop or app menu so user don't have to search
> over disks "oh where the hell did it put this software?"
IMO, putting icons on the desktop should be _optional_.
I know some will use it, but I totally dislike it cause you end up with a more
than crowded desktop.
The Be menu thing either should be:
- putting a link in a standard place (in Applications), but you will end up
with a Applications menu taller than the screen :)
- let the user specify this, but it's a bit harder (either a file selector,
or openning a Tracker window on the folder where the link is and one in the Be
Menu and let the user drag it... a bit complex)
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