RE: Debian Package Categories
I largely agree with this post.
Would it be useful to simply create many more groups or categories and allow
packages to associate with more than one group ?
So, perhaps there could be a ConsoleApps and XServerApps and TextEditors,
Nano would be part of ConsoleApps and TextEditors, whereas Kate would be
part of XServerApps (or/and KDEApps) and TextEditors.
Perhaps this is over complicating things.
Matthew Joyce
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark L. Kahnt [mailto:kahnt@hosehead.dyndns.org]
Sent: Wednesday, 9 October 2002 8:57 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: 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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