Re: Upstream packaging (was Re: Derivatives, MongoDB and freezes)
Hi,
On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 12:00:11PM +0200, Jonas Smedegaard wrote:
> Quoting Andreas Tille (2013-04-25 09:20:59)
> > I honestly wonder if there is some more general definition for the
> > term "app store" besides what according to[1] certain companies have
> > made out of it. Following the logic that "app store" is crap because
> > some companies provide it as such we are terribly lucky that they did
> > not choose the term "distribution" for their crap. I personally can
> > not find something wrong in a *generic* term "application store" and I
> > would not seriously object if someone would call Debian an app store
> > done the right way.
>
> If by "not seriously object" you mean that you would object but with a
> smile and continue your great meal together, rather than leave the
> party and file a lawsuit, then I agree with you...
It depends with whom I share that great meal. If it is my father I
would simply say "yes". If it is my son I would mind explaining the
difference. Rationale: I have installed Debian on my fathers box and
told him how he can install additional applications. Once you have a
basic system running the Debian mirror serves as an app store and it
makes actually the point for this kind of user (and a lot of other users
as well).
> To me, calling Debian an "app store" would be only misleading.
Yes. That's why I would not call Debian an "app store" to *you*.
> To me an
> "app store" is for "topping op" a system, not the system itself.
There are actually users who do not "see" the system but just the
topping. I would never try to blame the user about this. For my father
it is even easier to understand what I'm doing in Debian because I spend
most of my time with leaf packages (if I do not care for Blends
infrastructure stuff). So telling him "Debian is an app store and my
work on it is adding apps to the store" this is an very easy to
understand explanation which leaves out the part that is not
understandable to him: What is an operating system. (Hey, also Windows
is no operating system - it is just a kick-starter for Windows, Excel, a
browser and a mail client, right?)
> Debian is no app store: content is not only apps nor app-centric, and
> aim is not to archive nor to sell, but to streamline and distribute.
If you do not like the selling part: Store in the sense of some
"storage of goods" is not necessarily about bying (at least of my
understanding). Or tweak it like this: We are selling our stuff but
the price tag says 0€/$. Feel free to blame me about oversimplification
> When I need an alternative term to describe what "distribution" means, I
> use "library": Like librarians we care not only about the individual
> "books" of software, and not only about the "novels", but about
> long-term cohesive structure of the library as a whole.
>
> Libraries also has the connotation of "collecting dust" which arguably
> is descriptive for (stable) Debian as well ;-)
Nice alternative explanation.
Kind regards
Andreas.
--
http://fam-tille.de
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