RE: [Nautilus-list] Nautilus Goals

[Abe Fettig <abe fettig net>]

> > It shouldn't do all this.  It's a file manager/desktop shell, not the
> > solution to every problem under the sun.
> >
> But, in the ideal sense, shouldn't it install whatever you throw at it, even
> if that means downloading a new package?  It doesn't add any bloat to
> nautilus if you don't use it.  I thought that the RPM view that nautilus
> used to have was pretty damn useful.  If that could be brought back, or a
> red carpet version could be developed, I am sure many people would find it
> useful.

I think the point of contention here is whether or not Nautilus should
integrate net services.  Being able to download dependencies means that
we are assuming that (1) the user has an internet connection, and (2)
there is a reliable server out on the internet somewhere that's going to
have the files they need.  Whether or not it's safe to make those
assumptions is a matter of debate.

However, I don't think this has to be an all-or-nothing thing.  RPMs and
debs could have multiple file handlers in the right click menu.  For
example "install package" (the default, to do a simple install) or
"install latest version with red carpet" to do a net-based dependency
install.  If the simple install failed, the user could be given a
helpful error message, something like:

"The software package 'PackageName' cannot be installed, since it
requires additional software packages that you do not have.  To install
it, you will need to either download the other packages, or use a more
advanced install program.  The other packages you will need are:
<names>"

I know there's a better way to word that, but you get the idea.

Abe