Wishlist:Website of user-contrib.Debian categorized software

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jobezone · #1 Post by **jobezone** » 2005-08-04 19:31

Perhaps this is not the perfect place to request such a thing, but what would you guys think of a site in debian.org or debian.net which would categorize the entire range of software for Debian, like aptitude and synaptic already does, but with screenshots, reviews and ranking by debian users?

I would certainly support and contribute to this, as I have, over the years, tried out a lot of software in Debian, testing very different packages to find the best that suits me.

A few months ago I saw in the Ubuntu wiki that there was plans on their part on creating something like this, but haven't followed it up to know if it will be appearing with its next release or not.

So, for example, each software page would have the following information:

Categories, Name of software, Package to install ( and related packages), Distribution (Sarge, Etch, or Unstable), Description (from the Package description), Homepage, Screenshots, reviews and ranking made by Debian users.

Jeroen · #2 Post by **Jeroen** » 2005-08-05 16:02

So, basicly, a packages.debian.org plus. Sounds like an interesting project, and like with basicly everything in Debian, "just do it", and if it works out, it'll be included. The biggest problem to me seems to be to actually collect the information you want to show, like screenshots etc.

You can start out on your own server, and when you have something running, you can most likely get an debian developer to point a nice debian.net address your way. I also suggest to talk to djpig@debian.org, the main maintainer of packages.debian.org.

The main thing is writing the code though, and designing the way the data should be collected. Maybe one big subversion repository with per package a bit of html and the images, would be the simplest design.

jobezone · #3 Post by **jobezone** » 2005-08-08 07:09

Jeroen wrote: You can start out on your own server, and when you have something running, you can most likely get an debian developer to point a nice debian.net address your way. I also suggest to talk to djpig@debian.org, the main maintainer of packages.debian.org.

I'm sorry to say that I don't have the skills or time to learn them to implement the software part of it

. When I said I would contribute to it, I meant by revewing applications I've used, or in any other non-coding way (getting the screens made, creating some graphics, logo, etc.). It's nice though that I'm not the only one thinking this is a great idea, and if someone starts or wants to start, I want to help.

Jobezone

P.S.-Caution: Wilder ideas starting (which means, I would be happy if the above was done, and it would be the easiest and most straight forward way to this):

We can think of even more bold ideas. Such as Synaptic could be especially configured/built to accept links from this Debian website which would instruct it to install the specified packages (after asking the password, of course). Or else, in future versions of Synaptic, it would give a direct link to the software's homepage in this packages.debian plus website.

The boldest one of all would be so that Synaptic would act as a graphical frontend to this website, to the user eyes, unless we wouldn't want users to be able to rate software and comment on them through synaptic, in which case it would only download this information.

Or else place more things, like screenshots, to a package's information.
Or create a new upper layer to the package system, which would aglomerate packages into their own software meta-packages. Thus alowing the user to search and deal only with these higher-level Software packages.

There are all wishes of course. As Debian is a volunteer project(fortunatelly), it takes someone to actually volunteer and do this (in part or in whole).