SoftwareCenter/NonApplicationsInSoftwareCenterGobbySession

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How to present packages (as opposed to end-user applications) in software-center.

The ratio of application vs package is currently 1 to 10, so if we just dump them into the center it will look much like synaptic (just less powerful) for most of the packages shown. Should we even list all non-applications in software-center? Or should we put them in other areas, e.g. Downloads background and font packages under System->Preferences->Appearance->Backgrounds & Fonts

Goal:

Three overall challenges:

  1. appropriate categorization
    • add top level category for most of these packages
      • what would this category be called?
        • "Tech tools"
        • "Packages" - possibly too attractive for people who don't know what packages are
        • "System Packages"
    • with sub-categories for each ubuntu archive section (we have something like 40)
      • icons for each (eg font icon), generic package icon (different from application without icon)
    • a "Wine" department in the Installed Software section, for installed Windows applications
    • sections
      • should create a transition section in the control file for transitional packages with nothing in them
    • we don't have debtags in the Ubuntu archive!
      • talk to Soyuz team about this
  2. - how/when non-application packages should appear in search results
    • one idea: non-application packages appear further down the results
    • selectable scope for searches (all packages, graphical applications only)
      • what would we call "graphical applications" if the scope is exposed in the interface?
      • "There are no application results, but there are 2 non-application results"...
    • use case: someone searches for a game, its -data package shows up too
    • use case: someone searches for emerillon, gets no results, because emerillon has no .desktop file
  3. how to present individual packages when they do appear
    • Most prominently use their synopsis rather than their name
  4. Other ways to present particular classes of non-application packages
    • Screensavers in the Screensaver Preferences
    • Fonts in ... we have no Fonts interface at the moment
      • User has to find a way of opening ~/.fonts
      • Font Viewer has an "Install Font" button, but
      • TODO: Investigate font managers and consider installing one of them by default
    • Panel applets in "Add to Panel" dialog

Other suggestions:

Other issues:

SoftwareCenter/NonApplicationsInSoftwareCenterGobbySession (last edited 2009-11-20 19:22:53 by edwin-grubbs)