Wiki entry for a centralized package repository

What features/apps/bugfixes needed in a future Puppy
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drj
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Wiki entry for a centralized package repository

#1 Post by drj »

Here is my problem:

I am having hard time to find out what applications have been ported to Puppy, what are at working. Even though Flash has a sticky list on the matter and helped a lot, I really think we could do better and be more organized, so that regular users and developers can go one place to see what are available and download/install them right up there. Posting dotpups on the forum as attachments is not long-term solution.

Here is my suggestions:

1) create a top-level entry in Wiki for Puppy additional sofeware;
2) a complete,sortable (name,catagory) list of ALL available dotpups with brief function descriptions and link to download/screenshot;
3) a to-do/wish list for potential appls, if one developer wants to work on it, put down your name (so no dups);
4) ....


A puppy with good genes does not guarantee its survival. It is up to us to teach it new tricks, arm it with teeth and feed it with Benefial.

Sincerely Yours

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Flash
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Re: Wiki entry for a centralized package repository

#2 Post by Flash »

drj wrote:Here is my problem:

I am having hard time to find out what applications have been ported to Puppy, what are at working. Even though Flash has a sticky list on the matter and helped a lot, I really think we could do better and be more organized, so that regular users and developers can go one place to see what are available and download/install them right up there. Posting dotpups on the forum as attachments is not long-term solution.

Here is my suggestions:

1) create a top-level entry in Wiki for Puppy additional sofeware;
2) a complete,sortable (name,catagory) list of ALL available dotpups with brief function descriptions and link to download/screenshot;
3) a to-do/wish list for potential appls, if one developer wants to work on it, put down your name (so no dups);
4) ....


A puppy with good genes does not guarantee its survival. It is up to us to teach it new tricks, arm it with teeth and feed it with Benefial.

Sincerely Yours
I agree, and those are very good suggestions, but, obviously, they won't work unless everyone who ports an application to Puppy knows about them. Some kind of test perhaps, that someone who wants to add a DotPup must pass, indicating that he or she has at least read the standards page? :lol:

drj
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Joined: Sun 26 Jun 2005, 17:45

Re: Wiki entry for a centralized package repository

#3 Post by drj »

If we can put majority existing dotpups to Wiki and well organized, people will come, as long as it is easier for them to look for any specific applications than on the forum. A stantdard procedure would be a great plus
Flash wrote:I agree, and those are very good suggestions, but, obviously, they won't work unless everyone who ports an application to Puppy knows about them. Some kind of test perhaps, that someone who wants to add a DotPup must pass, indicating that he or she has at least read the standards page? :lol:

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Flash
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#4 Post by Flash »

I looked for a way to search the wiki but couldn't find one. The forum does have a search function. It would probably work better if people would write better subject lines than "please help." These are the reasons I thought an index of forum posts would be useful.
I could use a little help with indexing - like whoever makes a dotpup could start a new thread for it in the "Additional Software" forum, keep track of its progress, and let me know when the dotpup is ready to be included in the index. Oh, and sometimes I don't know what the dotpup program does, so I don't know where to put it in the index. Dotpup makers, please include a short, plain language description of what the program does with your DotPup. :)

GuestToo
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#5 Post by GuestToo »

of course, Puppy links directly to the DotPup wiki page from the start menu

this has prominent links to GuestToo's dotpups and user Contributed dotpups

this is where you are supposed to be looking for dotpups anyway ... the forum is mostly a place to upload the package

i've listed my dotpups by group (though sometimes it's hard to know what group to put a dotpup in)

it's easy to search for a dotpup ... the browser has it's own search function ... for Firefox, i just start typing the word i want to find, and it automatically searches the page ... at the moment, all my dotpups are on one page, so this works well

it's good to have some information with the name of the dotpup, but too much information can make the page cluttered ... if there is a package that needs a lot of relevant information, another wiki page could be created and linked too ... and there can be a "more information" link to the forum

it might be good to have a wiki page with a list of the dotpups in alphabetical order, and in date order too, probably one dotpup per line ... i have a list of the 4 or 5 latest dotpups at the top of my dotpups page

organization is good, but it takes time and effort

i think my dotpups page is fairly easy to use ... i would prefer more white space (more like the User Contributed page), but others with write access to my dotpups page seem to like it that way, so i've left it that way ... i don't mind

drj
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#6 Post by drj »

I understood that organization would take time and affect, that exactly what I wanted Wiki, so authors can input themselves. I am looking for something similar to Damn Small Linux (DSL) package http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/dis ... sl/system/ , but using Wiki format. so everyone could help.

I consider it would be very important to attract new users, especially new Linux users, if we have a well organized package management. The real sale point for Puppy is small and speedy, so that keeping it lean-n-mean is vital, on the other side, it can't include everything it can offer in its core, that is a good package management into play.

more specific, I am looking for something like this and link to download packages
http://www.goosee.com/puppy/wikka/AdditionalSoftware (sorry, don't know how to upload *pup files)

drj
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#7 Post by drj »

http://puppy.edrj.com

Since I did not get many feedbacks, I created a test web site, http://puppy.edrj.com , for this idea, please check it out. It has not have much needed security features yet (I am open on it). for now, no login required.

some specific feedbacks I am seeking:

1. login/no login
2. if no login, how to save guard packages
3. if login, could it be possible to sync login/password with this forum?
4. ....

be gentle, it is on a home DSL
:P

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Flash
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#8 Post by Flash »

I don't mean to discourage you. I agree with what you are trying to do. I'm just not sure that creating another website is the right way to do it. Wouldn't it be yet another place people would have to be made aware of? It seems to me that it would be better to try to find a way to use the existing Wiki or Forum to do the organizing.

The forum has a feature at the top called "usergroups" which has never been used for anything. If the functionality of usergroups can be adapted to accomplish your purpose, I'm sure JohnM would be happy to oblige.

drj
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#9 Post by drj »

I do agree with you that another site won't be needed IF we can acomplish the same functionality here or Wiki, as I originally suggested. Basically we just need a go-to place for those packages, not to search anywhere and got lost, It also could be a section under the main/offical Puppy site (hosted there).

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klhrevolutionist
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the thing is

#10 Post by klhrevolutionist »

I think that the way it is now, is good,
The standard should or might be, posting the dotpup on the forum for testing. If it gets a lot of hits, and seems useful, then. Then people should have to contact a moderator, with a brief overview of what the dotpup is. Then with the moderator checking the dotpup to make sure it follows puppy standards, the moderator could then post it on the wikki actually, they would have to go through guest too I think.
this would assure that the dotpup is useful, popular, and up to standards,
with a "chain of command" as we used to say in the military if you will.

At the same time I think, the pupget package manager, should work a little
more, including all items that are already in puppy, this way you can remove every app you don't use or need. this deailed package manager would really have ?(super cow power)? not sure that's how it goes but you get the idea!!
Heaven is on the way, until then let's get the truth out!

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Flash
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Re: the thing is

#11 Post by Flash »

klhrevolutionist wrote:I think that the way it is now, is good,
The standard should or might be, posting the dotpup on the forum for testing. If it gets a lot of hits, and seems useful, then people should have to contact a moderator, with a brief overview of what the dotpup is. Then with the moderator checking the dotpup to make sure it follows puppy standards, the moderator could then post it on the wikki. Actually, they would have to go through GuestToo I think.
this would assure that the dotpup is useful, popular, and up to standards,
with a "chain of command" as we used to say in the military if you will.
Speaking purely for myself, asking this moderator to see to it that DotPups meet standards is a bit much. :shock: You have no idea how much time I spend in the forum already, just combing through it looking for stuff to put in the index. It's a good thing I'm not married. :)

An enforcer of standards would have to be someone who knows a lot more about DotPups than I do. GuestToo is a logical choice, since he's made so many of them, but, even if he were willing to take on such an onerous chore, I think he would soon find himself swamped. Reviewing all the DotPups would take a lot of time. There would be a lot of posting back and forth, to tell DotPup creators what needs to be changed etc.

No, the only way standards will work is for it to be the responsibility of each DotPup creator to see to it that his DotPup meets them. I think DotPup makers would gladly follow standards and best practices, if there were standards, and they were available in one place and clearly written.

For a start, perhaps a few DotPups can be chosen as shining examples of perfection, and dissected and annotated, for budding DotPup makers to check their DotPups against. Does anyone have any nominees?

Standards are obviously a good thing, but how to decide on them, promote them and enforce them are eternal questions.

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klhrevolutionist
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centralized

#12 Post by klhrevolutionist »

also, there ought to be a centralized script that people should use with there
dotpups so that the pupget package manager could recognize the dotpup
for easier installing and uninstalling, I'm sure this has been thought of
but incase it did'nt
Heaven is on the way, until then let's get the truth out!

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