Re: Some things GNOME really needs

[Robert Roeser <roeser engr orst edu>]

The reason why I suggested an install wizard in the original email was for
several reasons.
1. The are differnet types of packages
2. Not all linux distros have package systems, and GNOME isn't only for
Linux it is for all flavors of UNIX, which don't all have rpms
3. Theses package system were made to used from the CLI, and for Linux
users. NOT for people who are used to Windoze, or macs. Now some would
argue that we don't want them etc. But I thought the goal of the GNOME
project was to make Linux easier to use for all, and to hopefully make it
easier for the common person to use, ie Win and Mac users.
4. Will I use GnoRPM, I know that is it less still to hard for the common
user. I set my Family up a linux server for our DSL, and my Dad had to
install something one day. It took longer then it should of. Nifty install
program would have ben nice. (i was at school, and couldn't log into the
machine:(
5. Gnome is modular so the "install wizard" in theory could use pieces of
other programs so you wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel. End users need
to
be walked though installs. I get the feeling that most Linux users forget
this, or at least some.
6. Tke kernel has a graphical install program, albeit that you have to
type in make, etc. That is were I first thought about the idea for a
gui interface for compiling. Programs could come with a script called
'setup' or install, like has been suggested and when ran it would compile
it would pop up a little window, and lead the user through the rest of the
install. If the script was in perl it could run on all flavors of Unix in
GNOME. This would be simpiler IHMO for an end user. All the do is double
click on install, and wham it installs...
7. To make Linux and Unix easy to use you have to add things that most
linux users find silly, and useless, and keep them simple. Wizard my have
been a bad choice of words, I was thinking about a universal
installalation intface for Gnome that would walk end users through
installing programs in a simple and start forward way.

So here was the the way I thought the program could work. user goes the
control panel, and selects the install new program option. The window in
the right pops up and ask him if its rpm, dep, xyz, or tar.gz. Then user
selects which on it is and hits next. Then he points the install program
to the directory where the program is located, hits next. If the user
picks tar.gz file it looks for the install script, and runs it. Etc...

On a side note, I was thinking of something useful for rpms would be a
master rpm, that would install several child rpms even if they were separe
files. So if you wanted to install Gnome, you download all the rpms, and
then you run one rpm called Gnome.xyx-y.rpm and it would install the
others, kinda like when you the old pkzip when you spaned disks, one zip
file connect to whole bunch of other zip files. Run one and the all get
uzniped?

Robert

ps. The only time I have used rpm -Uvh --force --nodeps was to upgrade
Gnome from version .99.8 something to 1.0 something, and it works fine, In
fact I am writing this e-mail for the vary machine that I did it too and
it didn't break the system. 
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