Thread: How would you change Maemo.org Downloads and Application Manager?
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BoxOfSnoo is offline BoxOfSnoo
2008-03-27 , 14:21
Posts: 259 | Thanked: 72 times | Joined on Dec 2007 @ Halifax, NS
#34
Originally Posted by GeneralAntilles View Post
No, it means relevant to the user. The end user shouldn't have to concern themselves with libraries and support files, that's the entire point of Linux package management. The problem, again, goes back to packagers (as you can see with the issues stemming from the removal of Python-runtime from User/), if an application needs something, it should depend on it and the software should resolve the dependencies without user intervention.
Linux package management is done on many platforms, without a "nerf-squishy" mode and a "everything else" mode. Why is this such a roadblock? Why is it all or nothing?

Why not break it down to groupings that are logically relevant to the user. "Applications you probably only care about installing", "Oddball utilities", "Support libraries", "Base functionality" and so on. Run through aptitude or YaST or Anaconda. Filter out a few things if necessary, but that list should be quite limited (base functionality of course)

I am sad to see all the newcomers to maemo told that the solution to getting a simple PIM is gpe and erminig - neither of which can be installed from blue pill mode through application manager, IIRC.

And yes, this can theoretically all be solved with proper packaging and a good extras repository. And yes, you can install many of these packages straight from deb files off the web, bypassing any crazy pill modes.