Re: DEITY TEAM -- REQUEST FOR FUNCTIONALITY and COMMENTS
>2. I know there has been much traffic about the interface, but I think
the >best I've seen for this type of material is a nested list of packages.
Start >the top with all packages, then go to stable, contrib, non-free...
After that >break them down by group, i.e. admin, base, ... The thread
that could tie all >of these together is the ability to make some of these
disapear.
Yep that would be good.
As I see it dselect/deity has three purposes.
1/ To install debian on a fresh system. This should be as simple and
painless a process as possible. I would recommend sacrificing
functionality for simplicity. This is *just* to get newbies installed and
working. I'd do something like have 3 options. A developement box
(nothing but baisc utilities and compilers), a network box (basic utilities
and networking stuff, including prefered MTA and MUA etc) and a full
install ( the two before plus X windows).
2/ To manage the packages that are installed or you want to be installed.
This should be a nice friendly way of adding or removing packages. I think
an X config option is overkill and would just go for a nice simple curses
or slang interface... others may disagree... This is the meat of the
program. It needs be easy enough to use by newbies (or relative newbies)
but still have the advanced options that a power user would want.
3/ To upgrade your system to a new version of Debian. The basic option for
this would download and then upgrade everypackage that was currently
installed on your system.
I favor the 'pine' method of making things easy. Ask questions all the
time if they want to do somethign and allow the advanced user to turn all
the *stupid* questions off.
Adam.
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P.O. Box 5301 Adam Shand (fax) +64 3 477 5463
Dunedin, New Zealand Systems Manager (voice) +64 3 479 0303
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