Debian Package Categories
Oh, it is so nice, from time to time, to peek into the Debian
distribution package listings, and identify packages that look useful,
or at least interesting, and apt-get them for a test drive. That said,
has anyone looked in on the "X Window System Software" category
recently? Would it be time to consider splitting this category to better
reflect that this area has grown massively compared to the early days of
Linux and XFree86, when it was primarily the X servers, a few lean
window managers, and a core of xterminals, minimal utilities such as
xcalc and xclock, and xvidtune and xdm?
My own suggestion is to return to possibly six categories:
1) X Window System - the X servers themselves, and the handful of more
*legacy* window managers that don't include a collection of related
customised utility packages, such as twm, ctwm, olvwm and fvwm.
2) Gnome - What is needed to run Gnome or only supports Gnome, as well
as the application packages depending on aspects of it.
3) KDE - What is needed to run KDE or only supports KDE, as well as the
application packages depending on aspects of it.
4) AfterStep - Due to the large number of applet packages, this can be
split out as a separate category.
5) WindowMaker - Due to the large and still growing number of applet
packages, this can be split out as a separate category.
6) X Applications - All of the applications that don't require any
specific window manager or desktop environment, other than X11, and
don't fall into other categories such as Web Software, Mail, Graphics or
the like.
The last category raises the question of whether or not it might also
make sense to question whether or not it might be time to re-organise
the entire package categorisation system into three *regions*, and then
appropriate sections under each:
A) System and Servers - All of the core matters to get the o/s booted
and running, as well as networking and daemons, and the sort of things
only root should ever touch.
B) Text Software - Mail, mailx, nn, rn, trn, vim, nvi, elvis, emacsen -
if it runs from a shell interactively for a user, it is here. I would
also place the development software, headers and libraries here, and for
those using IDEs under X, it would draw these in through the normal
dependency system.
C) X Window System Based Software - If you need an X Server to run it,
it goes here, as well as links to those applications such as emacsen
that also have X modes.
A year ago, this would have been extremely disruptive and difficult to
implement, but now it would involve essentially nominal updates to a
field (and maybe the addition of a *region* field) in the debs - the
package pool system would be untouched in the process. From a system
designer's perspective, this would aid the selection of software based
on whether the machine was a server, control system, or
workstation/desktop, and potentially aid in the system installation
process for new to Debian users, as well as developing tasks that can be
user configured in the future - Task-MTA-Exim, for instance, could allow
the selection of the preferred virus scanner and spam filter found in
"System and Servers/Mail Server".
--
Mark L. Kahnt, FLMI/M, ALHC, HIA, AIAA, ACS, MHP
ML Kahnt New Markets Consulting
Tel: (613) 531-8684 / (613) 539-0935
Email: kahnt@hosehead.dyndns.org
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