Maybe openSUSE needs something like Ubuntu's app center

[TaraIkeda]

Originally Posted by Akoellh

Or in a nutshell:

You think that most new users are morons (maybe I could agree on that *g*) and should also be treated as such in restricting their possibilities to choose?
If so, I can only hope, YaST will never be "improved" in that way.

No no, but the main reason why Ubuntu is so popular is that in the past it offered add/remove and now offers app center.
Both offer a very basic set of apps to get one started, when you are a new user you might get confused with how many applications a single category can offer.
Without a non gui app filter it could lead to a uneasy experience and it could confuse new user.
Leave regular YAST alone, and still offer all the packages but maybe there could be a "easy yast" armed only with installers for a basic amount of packages to get one started.
I am just seeing something that could be helpful to new users here.
Its just a suggestion in the end.

[Sagemta]

Tarakelda,
I've seen the app center you're talking about. Since this'd be for the new users, I wonder how a 1-click catalog that'd run through Yast sounds to you.
It'd be a site like the OSC does with the Restricted Formats not exactly what I think you're after, but at a 4G+ download I wonder if there's any space left on the install DVD.
I'll admit I personally am not a user of 1-clicks so please forgive my ignorance if such a catalog already exists.
I do remember my 1st visit to Opensuse & I was a moron & yes I was a overwhelmed! A one stop shop of starter apps sounds like it'd have made things easier. Also, in a page format one could read about how to use Yast.

[caf4926]

YaST is much more than just an application centre. It's long been the envy of others too.

> the main reason why Ubuntu is so popular is that ...

your idea of the reason for Ubuntu popularity is an opinion which is
not be shared by all.. :-)

personally, i think it has something to do with Mark's deep pockets
and willingness to send a free live/install CD anywhere in the
world...a marketing plan which also earned America On Line (AOL) a
boatload of money in the '90s..

don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a boatload of money,
or three...but, just because Mark can afford a more expensive
marketing strategy than can Novell is no reason to assume they have a
lock on all the good ideas--and their way should be copied by all
other distros, or even just this one..

--
palladium
Have a lot of fun..

[buckesfeld]

* TaraIkeda wrote, On 10/31/2009 01:36 AM:
> Without a non gui app filter it could lead to a uneasy experience and
> it could confuse new user.

Makes sense to me. A lot of people don't want CLI tools.
https://features.opensuse.org/

Uwe

[techwiz03]

Originally Posted by caf4926

YaST is much more than just an application centre. It's long been the envy of others too.

How true!

Yast needs improvement too, but "as is" works most of the time. I tend to look to a future YAST where one can actually bring up setting files at least for review of what Yast has done. A tiered group repository installer would also be nice under both software add/remove and software update.

[Prexy]

I've been a fan of suse so long, I get a knee-jerk reaction when someone says there is a better feature in ubuntu (or elsewhere). But to be fair minded, a better presentation of apps might be possible and useful to the newest users.

A rating system might help, as well. For example, through the years, I could never get kooka to work satisfactorily for me, but I couldn't live without xsane. Skanlite is sometimes ok. I would advise new users (or rate) to use one of these similarly functioning apps rather than another.

The same argument could be made for apps that aren't included but everybody wants, ie. the codecs. Searching the forums tells you where to get them and what to do with them, but a "newbie's list" or "recommended extras" list (or section in yast) would be useful. That might even permit a smaller install if not every single app was included on the DVD or CD.

I'm pretty happy the way things are. but there's always room for improvement.

[consused]

Anything that provides a simpler approach for new users should be welcomed, providing it doesn't dumb-down more advanced features, doesn't add significantly to the bloat, and doesn't add clutter to the "kickoff" menu.

[Knurpht]

It already is spreading around as a method: if things, no matter what, don't work in latest Ubuntu, "simply install everything from the app-center, sometimes that works". The windu method of throwing in as much codecs as possible and pray.

Am I the only one that has to have a terminal window open on Ubuntu all the time? Had to help somebody put two Ubuntu 9.10 machines in an openSUSE 11.1 network with NIS and NFS this weekend; we talked about compiling Yast for Ubuntu, since it lacks a Yast definitely.

[Siminin]

Originally Posted by Prexy

A rating system might help, as well.

I think that's nice idea. But if it's implemented it nees to be defined if the users will vote directly for an app trough Yast or based on reports to the packagers/developers of openSUSE or something else.
I think the first one is better but it will has to be thought of a way to stop voting many times.