[maemo-developers] [maemo-developers] Application Catalog rewrite [was: Abuse on the ApplicationCatalog page]

[From: Santeri Lindgren]

Michael Wiktowy wrote:
> On 4/11/06, *Jussi Kukkonen* <jhkukkon at cc.hut.fi 
> <mailto:jhkukkon at cc.hut.fi>> wrote:
> 
> 
>     I made a mockup of "All Maemo Applications" at
>     https://maemo.org/maemowiki/ApplicationCatalogMockup . Please comment
>     and/or modify the page. 
> 
> 

Well, apparently people don't read the RecentChanges page on maemowiki, 
i wrote this kind of page few days ago.

https://maemo.org/maemowiki/MaemoOrgImprovementIdeas

Where i stand, ApplicationCatalog, as it says is not meant to be a 
application database. But, if ApplicationCatalog will be used to this, 
then lets try to think WAY ahead.

> If there is going to be a more detailed page for each app, I would 
> replace the "Homepage" and "Download" links with a "Details" link 
> pointing to the more detailed application-specific page and a Status 
> indicator to let people know if the app is a WIP, Alpha, Beta, Stable 
> release.

As i proposed (might be a lot of typing errors), i propose that the 
ApplicationCatalog -page, as other equivalents to this, Wip and 
Wishlist. Should only be a list, maybe categorized more specifically.

Making the list a really long, isn't very nice when using GPRS to browse 
  and search one app you know is in the page but you dont' remember the 
homepage or something.

> That way, once an app is added to the index page, the information on 
> there does not need to be updated each time the detail page is updated. 
> Makes it easier to maintain.

Yes, this is a good point, but also, if you make a detailed index page, 
it gets cramped.

If you want some details to the index page, something like:

gategory
   | app name	| few centences nothing more

for example:

network
   | kismet	| Terminal Network monitor		|


> Two main groups of indicies should be "Maemo Applications" (apps that 
> run in the 770 itself) and "Maemo Support Applications" (apps that run 
> on a computer that connects to the 770 which has the primary purpose of 
> supporting the 770 in some way ... be it converting media, browser 
> plugins, sync tools)

Mixing alpha, beta, main applications might not be the best way. I still 
think that mixing alpha and beta applications in one page and release 
(ie. working) applications on one page is a good thing.

This way, new people who do not have any knowledge of software 
developing and who do not understand something like, alpha and beta, do 
not install not working applications that only mess they're system.

> Then each of those groups could be subdivided into functional groups 
> (Network, PIM, etc.) like they are now.

So, three pages?

index -> group -> application.

This might be a better way if you think that the application number will 
be hundreds, maybe more.

But, if this is truly the case, then something like maemowiki might be 
unusable, and we might be forced to find another place to hold our software.

> That is my opinion anyways.
> 
> /Mike

You have some good ideas. I like the three pages approach, it might look 
a little silly on some groups if they have only 1-3 programs but, to 
keep things under control you must force these for all.

Greets, Santeri