Re: [gDesklets] about category

[Lauri Kainulainen <lauri sokkelo net>]

Bjoern Koch wrote:
> Well, no repacking would be needed.

Yes it would if you want to get the controls out of the package and 
submitted to the site.


> So a "Debian package" (like putting every available desklet into one
> archive) might find its way into the gentoo repository, but why should
> someone really like to download and install more than 100 desklets (if
> not more) if (s)he only will need a few of them ???

The site will always be available to those who want their desklet 
library tweaked to the maximum. I do however think that most first time 
users will install gDesklets via their package manager and at the same 
time install the desklets as well.

> It's the same if you are looking for extensions for FireFox & co. They
> don't need any kind of "default extension package" and "auto available
> desklet downloading tool" etc.

Your analogy is lacking. Firefox has EXTENSIONS and it works very nicely 
without them. We have desklets and a core. A core that is useless 
without the desklets.

> Taking a look on the situation in the past 1.5 years I wouldn't
> recommend any distribution package. I really don't want to be harsh, but
> who would be taking care of this/these packages ??? (yeah, I know, you
> already started the "basic desklets" branch at launchpad).

This was a bit like the conversation that took place in the wiki when I 
was pondering on the best way to do the new shell. We ended up agreeing 
on a display-control approach instead of doing it the old way 
(integrating to the core) for a few major reasons:

1) it provides nice abstraction (control <-> display, mc <-> v)
2) gives ppl the choice to do their own shells by just creating display 
files
3) forces us to support at least one official desklet (!)

Having an official branch for working and updated desklets is a superb 
idea! If we don't support any of the displays ourselves (i.e. don't eat 
our own food), we end up having the current situation where the core 
breaks compatibility every now and then. AND we'd end up in the same 
situation where the packagers decide which desklets end up in the 
extra-packages.


> This looks a lot (to me and a bit overdone in
> the following) like most Windooze apps that start annoying you with
> update information or even updating on its own by default. Makes me
> (personally) feel like losing control of what's going on etc.
> If there is a way to have things done this way, it is fine if someone
> really wants it that way. But it really shouldn't be the *default way*
> of getting things done.

First, the desklet control won't do anything on it's own. It won't even 
be started if you don't start a desklet that uses it. And for 
downloading stuff, all it does is check for one text file on startup to 
see if there are new desklets on the site and that's it.

Second, the new shells for the desklet should offer more features, not 
less. I'm not quite sure how the d-n-d -support is for displays 
currently but I'm sure we'll come up with something so that you can 
install desklets by dragging them on the shell.

You're free to disagree with all of this and discussion is always very 
good, but I'm still failing to see what your actual solution would be. 
What is your vision on gD? Would you just keep everything as it is?

Br,
lauri

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