[maemo-developers] Why should it be so hard and should I even bother with Extras for fremantle?

[From: Martin Grimme]

Hi,

it really looks wrong IMHO if stuff like socat, rootsh, or openssh
turn up in the extras repository ready for end-users to be installed.
extras should only contain applications that are safe for everyone to
play around with.
Stuff like this is meant for advanced users and developers. I think it
would be best to have another official repository "extras-advanced"
for these things, that comes preconfigured but deactivated on the
device, with a big warning that apps in there are meant for advanced
users who know what these tools are.

Maybe we should open a brainstorm for separating the sharp knives from
the toys. :)

extras-advanced could have its own QA queue even. Or the QA decides
whether something that passes QA is good for extras (safe for
everyone) or extras-advanced (tools for advanced users). Maybe
something like voting with "thumbs up (end-user)", "thumbs up
(advanced)", and "thumbs down"?

Any suggestions?


Martin


2009/11/1, tz <thomas at mich.com>:
> I'm a power user and not the only one.  And what I used my current
> tablets for were testing networks and doing other low level stuff,
> mainly from xterm, but sometimes from python front-ends to linux.  So
> I ported a number of utilities under Linux to maemo/diablo and started
> to do it for fremantle.
>
> Way back when, I complained that half of what I wanted to install was
> invisible except under "red pill mode", and after getting all the
> noise about not using it and explanations, for those utilities I
> thought were significant, I created versions in user/* because it is
> the only way they would be visible.
>
> One of them was socat.  So I ported it and now that I submitted it for
> fremantle  they say it shouldn't be put in user/ so I'm both confused
> and annoyed.  This is the iTunes Application Store by mob justice.  "I
> don't like your app so you can't have it in extras!".  No one reported
> any actual bug, or problem, they just don't want to make it available
> to users or anyone else using the normal means.
>
> There is only one option and I'm trying to play by the rules - and
> going thorough all the steps.
>
> I have it in user/utilities which is probably where it belongs, but
> someone suggested user/development.  Normally I wouldn't mind, but
> first, no guarantee anyone will actually change their vote, second, it
> is really annoying since I have to bump the version too or it won't
> build, reconstruct the source uploads, upload them, build them, hope
> nothing goes wrong, and promote them JUST TO CHANGE ONE STUPID STRING
> that someone doesn't like AND MAY NOT RESULT IN APPROVAL.  A lot of
> effort for probably nothing.
>
> So we're back to having to do dpkg, hack around the application
> manager, turn on or add "red pill mode" and all that junk again.  Or
> just tell everyone to enable extras-testing so they can have access to
> disliked programs and have to put up with unstable betas?
>
> Is there some category under user/* I can put it in without worrying
> about being rejected except for actual bugs, or did all the discussion
> about how to avoid the ugly hacks yet be able for users to actually
> get to my programs result in nothing?
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