Re: packages.d.o: gcc package search is resulting in "Your keyword was too generic"

[Carsten Schoenert <c.schoenert@t-online.de>]

Hello Michael,

Am 13.06.19 um 15:47 schrieb Michael Kesper:
>> This list is about the Debian websites and the maintenance of them, so> unfortunately you are on the wrong list for asking such questions.
> 
> Unfortunately, that's the only address given visibly on the packages.d.o site:
> To report a problem with the web site, please e-mail our publicly archived mailing
>  list debian-www@lists.debian.org in English. For other contact information,
>  see the Debian contact page. Web site source code is available.
> 
> So our site pointed Phil right here (I think we cannot expect people
> to go back to a general contact page if they have a problem with a
> specific site).

I disagree a bit here.
The user should be able to distinguish between core issues about
functionality and features of the websites and technical questions about
packages.

For me the main thing in the post was to find possible backported
versions of gcc. Not the search was misbehaving. And mostly people
aren't reading the search output well enough (I count me in here too ...
sometimes). Even here by the example of Phil there is also a link
presented which is lowering the search parameter and pointing to

  https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=gcc

This site will show you all matching packages. If you can't find your
package in the suite you are looking for it's really likely it doesn't
exist there.

>> But there are no backports of the gcc versions available! So the output
>> of the search is mostly correct.
> 
> Yes but the message seems confusing to me, too.

The pure message that was quoted is an really generic message, yes. But
not confusing if the whole context is getting read by the user. And as
you know, there is also something that can be improved.

-- 
Regards
Carsten Schoenert