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Rationale
Hello people,
So, my idea is to extend the concept of the APT web link and standardize it to make it common to all Linux Distributions with a package&repositories system.
Example : in a web page you have a link like this : install://vlc/. If you are on Ubuntu, clicking it would launch aptitude and install vlc from repositories, if you are on Fedora, same thing but with Yum, etc.
Why ? Because when you install a software, you often first hear of it on the web, perhaps browse the software website, then open your package manager, search and install it. While you could just click on a link that launches the installation directly with the package manager. That's why apt web links exist. The problem is that they are not very spread. And I think this is because they are only made for Debian based distribution, so we need the same system but common to all distributions.
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cheesehead
(Brainstorm admin)
wrote on the 12 Oct 10 at 17:10
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What you seem to be shooting for is an url-based frontend to PackageKit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PackageKit , analagous to what aptUrl does with apt.
Packagekit adoption in Ubuntu is weak (it's in the repos, but not widely used) simply because few Ubuntu users see a need for it at this time. Many users stick with a singe distro, and distro-specific package management is not a problem for them. Of course, some PackageKit users really (really) love it.
If you don't get much traction from within the Brainstorm community...do suggest the idea to the packageKit developers.
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Please do correct me if I'm wrong on my assumptions.
From what I understand, the only applications that can currently be installed through a web-link are those already in repositories installed on the computer. It sounds like you are suggesting a way to install stuff from "new" or "other" repositories. This sounds like a VERY attractive method for malicious sites (or adds) to trick users into installing unsafe or trojan applications. Someone could post a link for "apt://thunderbird" but the actual href is "ppa://:thunderbird" and the user would think they were getting regular thunderbird when in fact it would be a "modified" version with who-knows-what in it.
Having all the apps in a monitored repository makes ubuntu much safer than other Operating Systems. I'm not asking for it to be limited (like the apple store) but just to have some sane level of checks to make sure nothing in there is malicious.
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argh0
wrote on the 13 Oct 10 at 07:11
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@Darwin : no, the web-link I propose is only for already configured repositories, exactly to avoid what you are describing. With this solution, you can give on the web a secure way to easy install the software you're talking about. I think there is enought software on the repositories for common needs and the issue is to introduce them to the users. And I assume that if web-links are not very spread, it is because they are distro-exclusive, but I can be wrong.
Examples : 1) On your blog, you're making a tutorial or introducing a wonderful software that you've discovered on the repositories. You can just say "click here for installing" and each distro will get the right version.
2) You've heard about a free software, you go to their webpage. They can say : you're on Linux ? Click here for installing
3) Software directories can give an easy way to install software, without providing unsafe-files.
What about software that aren't on the repositories ? Well, same thing that now : providing the source code and eventually ppa or packages for each distro.
True that it could be interesting to add repositories in one click, from the web (with a popup that explains you it is unsafe and asks your admin password). But that's another idea.
[Excuse me if I'm not clear, I'm not a native speaker of English]
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@argh0 sorry, my comment was actually directly specifically at jv13613 (solution #2). I loved your idea and already voted for it :D
I forgot to add his name to the beginning of my comment, my fault entirely.
There is only 1 problem I can see with your solution (#1) and that is that many distros use different names and packaging setups than each other. OpenOffice alone (libreoffice will be similar) has MANY different package names in almost every distro. There is also the problem that some distros split packages up (some let you install just oocalc without the rest of openoffice for example).
The idea is amazing, it just needs a little work or maybe the distros just need to standardize on a naming scheme and stop #^(%'ing up the package names.
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Oxwivi
wrote on the 13 Oct 10 at 12:25
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A standard Linux weblink will not work because each of the different packages of the same software is designed for different distros. Each distro has their own OS structure and the APT system serves the Ubuntu system,
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argh0
wrote on the 13 Oct 10 at 13:08
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@Oxwivi : I'm not sure you understanded the idea. Obviously each distibution have its own system and structure, and the idea is to keep this diversity. The link would just say : install 'that' software with your own system (so your own packages, repositories, sofware, etc). The link would launch apt-get on Ubuntu, yum install on Fedora, etc. Assuming that the software name is the same on all distributions and that the package name is simply the sofware name, which is not always the case, I agree, but quite common.
"I see no reason whatsoever for this idea to be expressed at Ubuntu Brainstorm since the implementation of the system depends entirely upon the developers of each distro." -> well, there must be someone to launch the movement, write the specifications of the standard, implement it and encourage others to do so, I assumed it could be Ubuntu.
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Lachu
wrote on the 16 Oct 10 at 14:01
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@cheesehead (Brainstorm moderator) wrote on the 12 Oct 10 at 17:10 :
That's exactly the same, but we need more extented mechanism to push it into upstream of all distributions.
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Lachu
wrote on the 16 Oct 10 at 14:03
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@cheesehead (Brainstorm moderator) wrote on the 12 Oct 10 at 17:10 :
User don't need a PackageKit. Don't promote Ubuntu in this way ;-) .
PackageKit is very good think for developers, like word processor developers, media player developers and other.
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