F20 Self Contained Change: Application Installer

[Pete Travis]

On Jul 10, 2013 5:25 AM, "Jaroslav Reznik" <jreznik at redhat.com> wrote:
>
> = Proposed Self Contained Change: Application Installer =
> https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/AppInstaller
>
> Change owner(s): Richard Hughes <rhughes at redhat.com>, together with the
> desktop team
>
> We will replace the existing gnome-packagekit frontends
(gpk-update-viewer and
> gpk-application) by a new application.
>
> == Detailed description ==
> The current PackageKit frontends are focused on (surprise!) packages.
>
> The new tool, tentatively named gnome-software, is designed from the
beginning
> for installing applications. It will present applications with information
> that is relevant to users (screenshots, reviews, descriptions,
ratings,...)
> instead of information that is relevant for packagers (dependencies,
package
> size, file lists,...).
>
> It will be possible to search and browse for available applications.
>
> gnome-software will also be used to present information about available
and
> installed updates. Notifications about available updates will launch
gnome-
> software if the user chooses to see details. gnome-software will be fully
> integrated with 'offline updates' - if an update includes system
packages, it
> will be done as an offline update, regardless whether it gets initiated
from the
> gnome-shell menu, a notification, or the gnome-software UI.
>
> To improve some problematic aspects of the updates user experience (long
> waits, locks), we will use the new hawkey backend for PackageKit.
>
> == Scope ==
> Proposal owners:
> * Implement minimal required functionality for application installation in
> gnome-software
> * Implement minimal required functionality for updates in gnome-software
> * Replace gpkg-update-viewer
> * Package gnome-software
> * Include a hawkey backend in PackageKit and use it
>
> Other developers:
> * Use gnome-software instead of gpk-update-viewer when dealing with
updates in
> gnome-settings-daemon, gnome-shell and gnome-control-center
>
> Release engineering:
> * Make metadata available for packaged applications in Fedora
(screenshots,
> icons, ratings,...). Not all of this needs to be in place for F20
>
> Policies and guidelines:
> * No immediate changes needed; longer-term, we probably want to make
changes
> to way applications are distributed and installed
> * The update experience will also benefit from proposed changes to batch
> updates
>
> _______________________________________________

A few questions:

How does gnome-software differentiate between user facing applications and
other packages, ie back end dependencies, system libraries, texlive
packages? What role do maintainers have in making this distinction, and by
what process?

Where does the additional user facing metadata live? How can maintainers
provide it for their packages, and in what format? Will other packagekit
applications be able to take advantage of it, or just gnome-software?

Thanks,

--Pete
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