Re: [Nautilus-list] Re: [PMH] Idea for Nautilus and GMC.

[Robey Pointer <robey lag net>]

Steven Willoughby wrote:

> On 23 May 2001 14:59:31 -0700, Miles Lane wrote:
>
> > It would be cool to be able to:
> >
> >       Click on a RPM link to download the RPM file
> >       and then have an installer kick off that shows
> >       the RPM info and asks for an installation
> >       confirmation.  Then, prompt for the root
> >       password before actually installing the package.
This is effectively what the install view does! :)  The difference is 
that it uses a special url-type instead of an RPM link, and it uses a 
backend server to fetch RPM information, of which currently zero such 
servers now exist.

Eskil and I have toyed with the idea of adding pluggable backends for 
the installer to use rpm view, or possibly to scan a CD of packages and 
build a quick cache of dependency info there.  But neither of us 
currently has the time to do it.  If you want to hack at it, though, I'd 
be happy to answer questions and help in any way.

The "package view" (what Nautilus shows when you click on an RPM) was 
supposed to link to this through an "install" button, but it was 
disabled before 1.0 because it had decayed through neglect.  To me, 
fixing the package view seems almost *more* important.

> This would be even cooler if there was a standardized app that prompts
> for the root password (as it seems like there is, in gnome) and have it
> do something like sudo does, i.e. only prompts again after a
> configurable amount of seconds.

Trilobite used yet another wrapper around userhelper.  It was a fine 
short-term solution, but I think the people at Next came up with the 
real solution (which we should steal): a padlock that you unlock (by 
entering the root password) when you want root privs, and which stays 
open until you lock it up again.  Things that require root access say 
so, and then point the user to the padlock, or prompt them to open it 
up.  The details are obviously open to debate, but I think the basic 
idea is a good one.

robey