Re: cleaning up our task packages
On Thu, Dec 07, 2000 at 09:23:25AM +0200, Sami Haahtinen wrote:
> > Maybe we need a way to define subtasks so we get output like:
> >
> > [ ] LDAP : LDAP libraries, server and clients
> > [ ] LDAP Devel : LDAP Development libraries
> > [ ] LDAP Server : LDAP Server
> > [ ] LDAP Tools : LDAP Utilities
> > [ ] LDAP Name Service : LDAP NSS and PAM for Name Service
> >
> > Makes much more sense. Tasksel could unfold only when asked to do so, like
> > when a user is really interested in the tasks specifics, or they want only
> > certian portions of a task.
>
> is this really supposed to be in tasksel?
Not really. At least, not for an end-user who doesn't know what they
want. I see this more as a collapsed list similar to:
[ ] Database
[ ] Development
[ ] Games
[ ] Desktop Environments
[ ] Language Support
[ ] Laptop Tools
[ ] Network Servers
[ ] X Window System
etc. A very simple (and short) list of things to answer the question of
what is it you want to do by giving you a categorical list of short and
simple categories. From there, you can either select, unselect, expand,
collapse, accept, or undo all changes. Now say you expand the desktops:
[ ] Database
[ ] Development
[ ] Games
[ ] Desktop Environments
[ ] GNOME
[ ] KDE
[ ] XFCE
[ ] UDE
[ ] Language Support
[ ] Laptop Tools
[ ] Network Servers
[ ] X Window System
Obvously we'd want better descriptions than GNOME/KDE/whatnot, but you get
the idea. If you select gnome, you will get it. If you had selected
desktops, you'd have gotten all of them. Selecting some will make
desktops "partially selected" and they can still all be unselected at
once. This allows your selections to be as coarse or as fine as you need
and is exactly the right mechanism. Hell, even windoze gets this much
right these days.
Not all choices can be on or off of course..
[ ] Network Servers
[ ] FTP Server
[ ] Network Time Server
[ ] Web Server
(*) Apache
( ) Roxen
( ) Whateverthehell
In cases where several alternatives exist, the default choice would have
been selected. The interface when expanded would be a radio button. And
just because you selected Network Servers this automatically gave you
standard network services such as FTP and HTTP, that doesn't mean that you
would also get NTP even though it's there because by default it doesn't
make sense to install that.
The "half select" really means something was turned on, but not the
default - but this is a hard concept for a new user, but that new user
isn't supposed to see it. A more sophisticated user will get it right
away even coming from windoze because as I said, windoze does something
similar. Another example, going back to the desktops above, you probably
don't want to install UDE by default on unsuspecting users since UDE's
point is to give the bird to everyone working on easy to use desktop
interfaces by creating something that is totally different but works well
for people who learn the interface and generally have no sense of
asthetics whatsoever. =)
> ok.. lets assume the question, 'what do i want to do?', 'i want to use
> ldap'.. before we get here user has to learn what ldap is, and most
> likely at that point he will know a name of the server he wants (or
> knows how to use apt-cache)
A user who says "I want to use LDAP" should know what kind of thing LDAP
is and can exand the category and select it.
> once again, 'i want to use ldap based authentication'.. at this point
> there would be a admin present to set it up.. or if the user needs
> ldap authentication and wants to set it up.. there is no need for a
> task package on this.
Again, a user who wants this will know approximately where to find it.
> the scene you are describing would just obsolete frontends for apt and
> dpkg.. it wouldn't have anything to do with tasksel..
If that suggestion wouldn't, mine might. I'd like to see the front-ends
fir apt moving in this direction personally.
> (just my 1c, i'm poor)
Heh.
--
Joseph Carter <knghtbrd@debian.org> GnuPG key 1024D/DCF9DAB3
Debian GNU/Linux (http://www.debian.org/) 20F6 2261 F185 7A3E 79FC
The QuakeForge Project (http://quakeforge.net/) 44F9 8FF7 D7A3 DCF9 DAB3
As a computer, I find your faith in technology amusing.
Reply to: