Re: Debian Usability Research
#include <hallo.h>
* J.Brown (Ender/Amigo) [Thu, Apr 03 2003, 02:30:30PM]:
> User A wants to install a graphical mail client for KDE, but this is a
> minimal system to installing a 'desktop' task package isn't exactly the
> best option. How would the user find out what mail clients are available
> in Debian? Apt tools are great if you know what you want to install, but
> with the large amount of software in the repository what about a user that
> is just getting started?
>
> You could say, "Well, look at packages in Section mail.. or it might be
> in section net.. or section X11... Well hopefully in all of them." - so
> are a bunch of MTAs and other useless (in this situation) clients.
I and others did already suggest all we need to make this work.
Conditional dependencies, controllable sequence of debconf setups and
full-non-interactive debconf setups based either on answers of previous
debconf answers (see controllable sequence) (or maybe some flavor
keywords in some conffile, but I do not like this solution much).
For example, the user chooses the packages env-i18n, env-french,
network-client, x11, web, kde, mail, news, popular-software.
env-french depends on utf8-preconfigure and has lower
debconf-sequence-priority so utf8-yes-or-not is asked first.
x11 has higher debconf-sequence-priority than kde.
mail and news have lower debconf-sequence-priority than client.
kde has "Cond-Depends: env-french -> kde-i18n-fr".
env-french asks on installation about different french specific things
(do not ask me what) and writes them where needed.
popular-software has "Cond-Depends: kde -> kmail".
web has "Cond-Depends: kde -> konqueror, x11 -> mozilla-browser, (x11 && non-US) -> mozilla-psm".
Etc.
Currently, we do not have any such mechanism in Debian to make things
smooth, and they are not even "on the radar of the things to be done".
So, sorry, if you wish to change some things in Debian to make them work
smooth for the end user, redesign the packagement system first.
And I already see some others critisizing me about claiming some things
without evidence, but that is (as always) the beginning of another
flamewar toggling the ignorance switch and ending in _nothing_.
MfG,
Eduard.
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