keywords, menus, package categories (Re: [aptitude] Categorical Browser)

[karlheg@hegbloom.net (Karl M. Hegbloom)]

>>>>> "Daniel" == Daniel Burrows <dburrows@brown.edu> writes:

    Daniel> On Sat, Nov 24, 2001 at 09:32:20AM -0800, "Karl
    Daniel> M. Hegbloom" <karlheg@hegbloom.net> was heard to say:

    [ re: aptitude ]

    >> How does the Categorical Browser discover where to put a
    >> package?

    Daniel>   I tell it.

 Ooohh... lots of work.  Very high maintenence.

    Daniel> Spreading stuff over the whole developer base works when
    Daniel> locally optimal solutions can be combined to make a good
    Daniel> global solution, but that tends to lead to a mess when it
    Daniel> comes to categorizing stuff (see the menu system or the
    Daniel> current sectioning system for examples)

 That's more to do with that there's not a fixed and standardized set
 of menu heirarchies yet.  It's sort of a grab bag; it was not known
 in advance what would be needed, so was left open.  But now that
 there's a jumble of packages, they can be sorted out and we can see
 if any groups or classes of packages can be seen in the set, and use
 that to form the toplevel menu items and package manager categories.

 This suggests a task force.

 I think there should be a chapter or section in policy that lays down
 the menu heirarchy, package categories, and keywords.  That would
 contain specification of the procedure used to get a new keyword
 added, a new category added, or a new menu tree grafted on.

  Right away, I say that, in menus, we define just what "app/"
  is... and that any interpretter with large amounts of documentation
  for itself and libraries for it must create it's own subtree.

   A dynamicly generated tree would be neat; using keywords or
   something; thus, libraries/ might list stuff that is also listed
   under perl/ or some suche?  Multiple keywords, multiple categories.

 Then, each developer puts their packages into the categories they
 think seem right, but are required to post to a list that is just for
 this task saying "this is the package, this is what it does, and here
 is where I've menu'd and categorized it, and here are the keywords I
 think are right for it."  Either nobody cares, or there is
 debate... people can suggest another keyword or category, etc.