Task:Consolidation of Extras
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The extras repository needs to become the single reference for developers willing to reach end users at large.
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{{task|ongoing}}
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The Extras repository needs to become the single reference for developers willing to reach end users at large.
* Address the issues with current Extras acceptance and put together a plan for streamlining the acceptance system for Extras(-devel), (not necessarily easier or less stringent, but more straightforward and clear).
* Address the issues with current Extras acceptance and put together a plan for streamlining the acceptance system for Extras(-devel), (not necessarily easier or less stringent, but more straightforward and clear).
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** Clearly document the steps required to gain entry. Some sort of "maemo Software Distribution Guide" (I know we already have something like this up, but make it prominent and bring it up to speed on everything) that the community (and maemo.org) can point developers to is important.
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** Clearly document the steps required to gain entry. Some sort of "Maemo Software Distribution Guide" (I know we already have something like this up, but make it prominent and bring it up to speed on everything) that the community (and maemo.org) can point developers to is important.
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:''Please try to point out what is not clear or what is confusing. I am trying to get a clear image of the problem, so I can fix this. --[[User:xfade|xfade]] 13:31, 2 June 2008 (UTC)''
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::''Right-o, getting better now? :D —[[User:generalantilles|generalantilles]] 16:09, 2 June 2008 (UTC)''
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* Lay out the groundwork for a peer-review system for Extras acceptance (or devel to Extras promotion) to help ensure good quality assurance on its packages.
* Lay out the groundwork for a peer-review system for Extras acceptance (or devel to Extras promotion) to help ensure good quality assurance on its packages.
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:''Maybe we need to start a separate wiki page with a proposal for this. This is not something we can do in a few lines here. But I would be very interested to work on this. --[[User:xfade|xfade]] 13:31, 2 June 2008 (UTC)''
 
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::''Agreed, will push to a "main" article. —[[User:generalantilles|generalantilles]] 16:09, 2 June 2008 (UTC)''
 
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* Actively hunt on the Net for maemo apps not yet added to Maemo Extras, talk to developers, ask and help them to commit applications to Maemo Extras. This especially applies to app porters currently active at iTT.
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== "Application Store" ==
* Use gronmayer's scripts to create a web site that merges applications from all known repositories into a single list and lets you browse them with MicroB using HTML UI similar to N-Gage, Apple Store, etc. While it sounds ambitious, it is not difficult to do, as we always have app descriptions and icons (form .deb files) and we also have screenshots for apps hosted at Garage. Reformatting this data in a format that can be nicely presented in tablet browser is not difficult.
* Use gronmayer's scripts to create a web site that merges applications from all known repositories into a single list and lets you browse them with MicroB using HTML UI similar to N-Gage, Apple Store, etc. While it sounds ambitious, it is not difficult to do, as we always have app descriptions and icons (form .deb files) and we also have screenshots for apps hosted at Garage. Reformatting this data in a format that can be nicely presented in tablet browser is not difficult.
* Effectively replace "itTSS" with this website.
* Effectively replace "itTSS" with this website.
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* Actively convince maintainers of other repositories to join the maemo extras repository. This would save some headache from offline and broken repositories.
 
* Make sure that all applications which are actually available in the repositories can be found in the Maemo.org downloads section.
* Make sure that all applications which are actually available in the repositories can be found in the Maemo.org downloads section.
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:''From a Nokia point of view the interest is to have a single repository for distributing third party applications. External repositories should be an exception targeting very specific needs and users. Nokia is not interested in blurring the boundaries between a community supported extras repository and the repo someone has setup somewhere.--[[User:qgil|qgil]] 06:59, 2 June 2008 (UTC)''
 
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::''While it is obviously better to have a single repository, both for users and for Nokia, realistically it is not going to happen soon. So, there is still a place for a repo aggregator like Gronmayer to exist. Additionally, creating an AppInstaller-like AJAX web site for Gronmayer specifically targeted for displaying in MicroB will let you test different AppInstaller designs before implementing them in a real application and pushing them to the users. It is really easy to change a piece of PHP code but changing a native app and updating everybody's tablets with it is more dofficult. [[User:fms|fms]]''
 
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:::''If you want to have any specific action around the Gronmayer aggregator & tools, that's totally fine. Go ahead. I'm just saying that Nokia prefers to invest its time and resources fixing the root of the problem, even if it will take longer than 100 Days.--[[User:qgil|qgil]] 07:59, 2 June 2008 (UTC)''
 
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:''I really like the idea. It should be merged with the Download section of Maemo.org. There should be an "Add your application" button that will open a new page where to enter all the informations regarding the new Application (the 'main page'). The submission of this new Application should automatically create: a) a garage project for the Application b) a discussion thread on the ITT forum for this Application's first release c) a Download page in Maemo.org will be created as well. This set of web tools should follow the Application during its lifetime. As long as the developer tags the application as Alpha or Beta, it should only appear in the Maemo Extras-devel repository. When the developer tags it as Stable it should be moved to the Maemo Extras repository. For each new release the developer should decide if to open a new discussion thread for that specific release or not (on the ITT forum). The first post on the ITT forum thread should also provide a set of links at least for 'reporting bugs' (and should, obviously, point to the garage's bugzilla page for that project). This link to bugzilla should also appear on the Application 'main page'. We have ONE Application, there should be a little more than ONE place on the web for it and for its resources--[[User:anidel|anidel]] 12:12, 3 June 2008 (UTC)
 
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== Social Engineering ==
* Put the pressure on developers:
* Put the pressure on developers:
** Encourage developers not using a repository to package their applications and push them to Extras(-devel), and get developers with 3rd-party repositories to close them down and push their stuff into Extras(-devel).
** Encourage developers not using a repository to package their applications and push them to Extras(-devel), and get developers with 3rd-party repositories to close them down and push their stuff into Extras(-devel).
** Encourage developers to follow proper packaging guidelines (based on the draft [https://maemo.org/forrest-images/pdf/maemo-policy.pdf here]).
** Encourage developers to follow proper packaging guidelines (based on the draft [https://maemo.org/forrest-images/pdf/maemo-policy.pdf here]).
** Encourage developers launching applications on Downloads to include as much information about the application as possible (screenshots, good descriptions, good changelogs).
** Encourage developers launching applications on Downloads to include as much information about the application as possible (screenshots, good descriptions, good changelogs).
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:''The aim is good and we support these ideas. It would be good to define the specific actions to be done in these 100 Days, though.--[[User:qgil|qgil]] 07:50, 2 June 2008 (UTC)''
 
At the end of the 100 Days direct uploads to extras should be disabled and use the promotion interface instead. --[[User:qgil|qgil]] 07:34, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
At the end of the 100 Days direct uploads to extras should be disabled and use the promotion interface instead. --[[User:qgil|qgil]] 07:34, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Revision as of 12:03, 30 June 2008

Image:Ambox_notice.png
 This is an ongoing task, planned to be completed during the current maemo.org development sprint. Any help is appreciated!
Please see the talk page for discussion.

The Extras repository needs to become the single reference for developers willing to reach end users at large.

  • Address the issues with current Extras acceptance and put together a plan for streamlining the acceptance system for Extras(-devel), (not necessarily easier or less stringent, but more straightforward and clear).
    • Clearly document the steps required to gain entry. Some sort of "Maemo Software Distribution Guide" (I know we already have something like this up, but make it prominent and bring it up to speed on everything) that the community (and maemo.org) can point developers to is important.
  • Lay out the groundwork for a peer-review system for Extras acceptance (or devel to Extras promotion) to help ensure good quality assurance on its packages.

"Application Store"

  • Use gronmayer's scripts to create a web site that merges applications from all known repositories into a single list and lets you browse them with MicroB using HTML UI similar to N-Gage, Apple Store, etc. While it sounds ambitious, it is not difficult to do, as we always have app descriptions and icons (form .deb files) and we also have screenshots for apps hosted at Garage. Reformatting this data in a format that can be nicely presented in tablet browser is not difficult.
  • Effectively replace "itTSS" with this website.
  • Make sure that all applications which are actually available in the repositories can be found in the Maemo.org downloads section.

Social Engineering

  • Put the pressure on developers:
    • Encourage developers not using a repository to package their applications and push them to Extras(-devel), and get developers with 3rd-party repositories to close them down and push their stuff into Extras(-devel).
    • Encourage developers to follow proper packaging guidelines (based on the draft here).
    • Encourage developers launching applications on Downloads to include as much information about the application as possible (screenshots, good descriptions, good changelogs).

At the end of the 100 Days direct uploads to extras should be disabled and use the promotion interface instead. --qgil 07:34, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Retrieved from "https://wiki.maemo.org/Task:Consolidation_of_Extras"