Idea #8857: Add download count to the packages in add/remove applications

Written by sboden the 20 May 08 at 11:20. Category: Others.
Related to: Nothing/Others. Status: New

Description

Add a general download count to the packages in add/remove applications: how many people ever installed this application/package.

What would be nice is to have an indication of popularity of packages. It could serve a couple of purposes:
- indication to developers how many people on ubuntu use their software, not include it anymore if no-one is using it e.g.
- indication to users if software is used a lot... suppose you have 10 instant messagging applications in the repository where 2 or 3 are used by a lot of people and the rest is not. If I would install an IM I would then first also try the ones used a lot (which I hope would result in a better user experience).

Reset counters per ubuntu version. So in hindsight if the data remains available someone could even do popularity graphs over versions.

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Comments

Lex wrote on the 20 May 08 at 12:34

Very good!

XVIIarcano wrote on the 20 May 08 at 12:48

Very nice indeed... better than the "stars" system in add/remove on which I always had some doubt.

Auzy wrote on the 20 May 08 at 13:01

Agreed. +1

But it does feel like a dupe actually

glotz wrote on the 20 May 08 at 13:23

This would favor the old and popular apps over the new, regardless how good they are. Could stagnate evolution.

Not sure if this is such a good idea.

shovelhead wrote on the 20 May 08 at 13:59

glotz has a point there :o)

voted down

Auzy wrote on the 20 May 08 at 14:05

actually, yeah he does..

Primož Papič wrote on the 20 May 08 at 15:01

Synaptic has this al ready it's called popularity.
But I don't know what this shows, downloads, some kind of grades, something different??
But Adept hasn't got it so still +1 from me.

NachoBlanco wrote on the 21 May 08 at 07:36

I think this information is not interesting enough. I just need to know the popularity as it is showed right now. Maybe, Ubuntu should inform about what is the meaning of each star in the programs and change the stars of the pograms installed by default to "Standard installation pogram" or something similar.

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