QT-based package manager

I would love to see a QT-based package manager and update icon using the PackageKit API. I'm quite prepared to make changes the the libpackagekit source if this is needed, I know I use a lot of gobject'isms. I can provide a private git server and add as much documentation as you guys need, I just need someone to take lead of such a project. Email the mailing list if you are interested. Thanks.

PackageKit Team Rocking

The other day I was asked in IRC if I did all the PackageKit coding myself. My response was “I do most of the C, but that's mainly boiler-plate stuff; the backend team do all the hard work“. The next question was “what is the development team like?” which got me thinking:

There's some top class guys doing a lot of work behind the scenes that need some recognition:

  • Robin Norwood, new to the project, already rocking with expanding Description with package size and the file list in the daemon and client library.
  • Luke Macken, a yum dude, helping to add unimplemented backend functions and fixing the yum backend.
  • Tim Lauridsen, another yum dude that is always super quick and efficient. This guy is a yum legend.
  • Tom Parker, the apt dude, although he's generally a whizz with C and C++ and general daemon stuff.
  • Ken VanDine, the main conary dude, always great for bouncing ideas off and great for thinking outside the box. Always a friendly face in the irc channel.

There's other people as well (sorry to those I left out!) but these guys above are the “core” developers thus far. If you want to get involved, grab an entry from the TODO, email the mailing list and start hacking. We normally hang out in #PackageKit on freenode and are normally a friendly bunch.

If you're not a coder then you can help too. Check out the sources and compile and test test test like there is no tomorrow. Above all else, PackageKit needs more people to talk about it to raise the profile. Articles for news blogs or magazines would be great (email me if interested) – basically anything to raise its profile in the Linux community. I know I'm posting pretty frequently on p.g.o, but the majority of developers will probably miss these. Thanks.

PackageKit and double clicking…

Now if you double click on a rpm/deb file you will get the following UI:

localinstall auth dialog

You always get asked for the admin (or user) password so that this can't be abused by a malicious script when you have asked PolicyKit to remember your password.

We're a couple of weeks from the release of 0.1.0. There are no DBUS API changes planned in the near future, and we're just going though the list of blockers for release.

Join us in #PackageKit on freenode if you get stuck or you want to ask any questions. Thanks.

PackageKit with gentoo or frugalware

Today I stumbled on the following blog post – basically, it's a developer from gentoo saying that because PackageKit won't ask the user for compile flags it's unsuitable for use in gentoo. The author then goes on to define an overly complex abstraction for package management suitable for gentoo.

I appreciate gentoo is not a “install epiphany” type distro, more a “configure firefox with libxml and libsvg” type distro. That's fine; choice is a great thing, but I don't think implementing yet another abstraction is going to work for a distro like that.
And then I found the following IRC log about frugalware, also doing the same with a frugalware specific gfpm. Really, some of these frugalware guys need to be hit with a big clue stick – read the IRC log and see what I mean. They don't want to ship pam, or PolicyKit, or any software install tool that “depend(s) on any external software like dbus”. Indeed.

A pretty-useless debugging client for PackageKit I wrote in a few minutes:


Useful to PackageKit Hackers…

It basically allows you to see what the currently running backend can do, and what is left to implement. Some of the backends can't do all the actions, so this tool can show you what they should be able to do. It's not pretty, but it's for programmers, not end users.

PackageKit GUI Tools

Currently the name of the package management tool is “Manage Packages” in the GNOME menu. It's a way of searching for and installing or removing software in a fairly techy way. Fedora name the pirut tool “Add/Remove Software” and I'm sure other distros name the “installer” different things like “Software Installer”.

The update viewer is currently called “Update Viewer” as it's primarily a way of seeing what changed and the reason why, rather than a way to apply the updates (although it can be used to trigger that too).

As usual, I've currently chosen rubbish names….

I need some help on the menu names of these applications – some suggestions:

  • Manage Packages
  • Manage Software
  • Add/Remove Packages
  • Add/Remove Software
  • Software Installer
  • Package Installer
  • Package Update Viewer
  • Software Update Viewer
  • View System Updates

In the future there will also be a tool “Application Installer” that just has a list of common applications like “Pidgin” and “Abiword” and ratings and that sort of thing. This requires integration with the online desktop thing and needs some fleshing out from a design point of view before any code is written. I want to get the “system” tools written before I flesh out this idea.

Other name suggestions welcome, as usual. Reply via blog or email. Thanks.