Re: Actual usage of different packages..

["Vince Mulhollon" <vlm@norlight.com>]

1) Bad logic.  Its not a sufficient reason to dispose of a minority, merely
because they are the minority.  (They do not conform to the majority, thus
we must eliminate them to "purify" and "cleanse" our distribution of
"undesirables", or place them in a special sub-distribution concentration
camp)

2) If you're curious about the statistics anyway, see
http://packages.debian.org/stable/misc/popularity-contest.html

3) The "DFSG market" is already extremely efficient at sorting out which
programs suck and which are cool.  No need to install artificial "controls"
on the market.  Things that suck are orphaned and removed.

4) No need for holy wars. <scarcasm mode> More debian users running the
"popularity contest" run vi and kde, therefore lets remove emacs and gnome
from the distribution, I'm sure there will be no arguements at all over
that action </scarcasm mode>

5) How are you going to stop developers from reinstalling banished
software?  Lets assume, for the sake of arguement, that "someone" has the
guts to think their opinion is more important than everyone elses, and they
remove another developer's package.  At one point, the developer who
packaged that software thought it was worth uploading.  How are you going
to stop that developer from uploading it again?



                                                                                                                    
                    "Tom                                                                                            
                    Musgrove"            To:     <debian-devel@lists.debian.org>                                    
                    <TomM@pentsta        cc:     (bcc: Vince Mulhollon/Brookfield/Norlight)                         
                    r.com>               Fax to:                                                                    
                                         Subject:     Actual usage of different packages..                          
                    02/21/2001                                                                                      
                    10:37 AM                                                                                        
                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                    




Has any attempt been made to find out what packages are actually used by
Debian users?

It seems likely that there are a number of redundant packages that could be
dropped if it turns out their userbase/user-commitment is small.

What I would like to propose, is a survey asking Debian users what packages
they use regularly/semiregularly.  And how 'critical' they consider them.
(Ie use a Likert scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'not important' to have, and 5
is 'very important' to have).

This survey could be done in conjunction with RedHat, Mandrake, Suse, and
whatever other vendors are out there (to increase sample size, and reduce
overhead expenditure, etc.).

Aside from the possibility of 'dropping' packages, there may well be some
'excellent' packages that do not have large audiences (due to lack of
awareness, advocacy, or some other reasons...).  This could point out
projects that should have increased advocacy to increase there userbase
(and
hence value to free software).

What do you all think?

Tom M.
TomM@Pentstar.com


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