Re: Debian menus policy

[Thomas Hood <jdthood@mail.com>]

I wrote:
> However that isn't a fatal problem.  We can have two trees.
> Every program will appear on the function-classified tree.
> Those programs which operate on data will appear on a
> separate data-object-classified tree.

Craig Dickson replied:
> I don't like the redundancy of that. How about, those programs
> that operate on some kind of "document" (text, graphic, sound,
> movie, spreadsheet, desktop publishing, etc.) go into a
> "data-oriented" tree, and those that don't (games, shells,
> most network protocol clients) can go into a more function-
> oriented tree.

But programs that are data-oriented also have functions, and
so belong in the function-oriented tree too.  I don't see any
reason why a program should not appear in multiple places in
the menu hierarchy.  A program might even appear multiple times
in one of the two trees---if it has several functions or if
it operates on several kinds of object.  What is most important
is that it appear in at least one place; and it will be a
convenience to the user if s/he knows that every program
appears at least in the function-oriented tree.

It was suggested earlier that the user be able to choose
between the two different kinds of tree, but I think it will
be simpler and more useful if we simply include both trees.
Thus the top-level menu would have the following entries:
   Apps by function
   Apps by object
   Help
   Screen

Returning to the question of the connection with package
classification, what we might do is add new tags to the
package description for function and object type which would
have the same permissible set of values as there are menu
titles.  Thus a network-enabled text editor would appear
under Apps_by_function|Editors|Text and under 
Apps_by_object|Text|Editors and the package would have the
tags "Functions: editor" and "Objects: text".  We could
then get debhelper to set up menu entries for us.  How 'bout
that?

--
Thomas