Ubuntu

Bug #578045
Comment #44

Comment 44 for bug 578045

Revision history for this message

Gao Shichao (xgdgsc) wrote on 2012-12-21:

#44

@Marius Kotsbak (mariusko)
The backport team seems never get sufficient members working on backports and it hardly will in the future. The backport volunteers are never the right people to package applications for the operating system. Ubuntu should really consider motivating software developers to package for LTS versions themselves , maybe by providing them with the right and easy to use packaging tools just like Google provided with Android SDK(an IDE plugin).

What @sicofante suggested is really a good point is "start thinking of keeping deb package management ONLY for system software and move to some self-contained packages, like OS X bundles or Gobolinux recipes, for applications". This is the only sane approach that will lead to a vast success of Ubuntu on the desktop. So only core Unity modules should be maintained and released ONLY AFTER sufficient TESTING, the disaster of 11.04 till now with the developing version of Compiz should never happen again. Other applications should only be packaged by the developers themselves with easy tools available for them. Then the Ubuntu dev team could focus on the quality of desktop stability,usability and hardware support. I think two years is sufficient for sorting out most bugs before a core Unity update, 6 months is never enough, so I think releases between LTS should be cancelled or only be marked as BETA and not recommended to users. Software developers thus have to only support LTS releases.

If this bug is resolved, the bug#1 will gain much more possibility to be resolved. Dear Ubuntu devs , time to stop endless package-crash-fix-package cycle and start building a paradise for Application Developers , you just need to provide the stage (a nice framework ) and let the developers dance. On the stage, devs who do endless package-crash-fix-package cycle will finally be abandoned by users and those who do endless package-package_with_new_nice_stable_features_while_compatible_with_old_good_staff cycle will finally win. Their victory is Ubuntu 's victory.

The slow pace of Ubuntu Software Center (both with its evolving speed and usability, both on the desktop and on submission and adopting process) really sucks ! It only is a bit acceptable now with my new SSD. And I don't really remember any significant change since 9.10, what I do remember is almost everytime the layout of USC changes a bit but the slow speed never change.

But what I'm worried is that just like the backport manpower lacks, the company that supports Ubuntu lacks sufficient dedicated developers to design and implement a really well-polished Ubuntu Software Center and lacks resources to reduce application submission-verify-available time. And community members will hardly ever agree on one approach and make some real progress with it. Both will render this issue unresolved forever.

What @sicofante suggested is really a good point is "start thinking of keeping deb package management ONLY for system software and move to some self-contained packages, like OS X bundles or Gobolinux recipes, for applications". This is the only sane approach that will lead to a vast success of Ubuntu on the desktop. So only core Unity modules should be maintained and released ONLY AFTER sufficient TESTING, the disaster of 11.04 till now with the developing version of Compiz should never happen again. Other applications should only be packaged by the developers themselves with easy tools available for them.  Then the Ubuntu dev team could focus on the quality of desktop stability,usability and hardware support. I think two years is sufficient for sorting out most bugs before a core Unity update, 6 months is never enough, so I think releases between LTS should be cancelled or only be marked as BETA and not recommended to users. Software developers thus have to only support LTS releases.

If this bug is resolved, the bug#1 will gain much more possibility to be resolved.  Dear Ubuntu devs , time to stop endless package-crash-fix-package cycle and start building a paradise for Application Developers , you just need to provide the stage (a nice framework ) and let the developers dance. On the stage, devs who do endless package-crash-fix-package cycle will finally be abandoned by users and those who do endless package-package_with_new_nice_stable_features_while_compatible_with_old_good_staff cycle will finally win. Their victory is Ubuntu 's victory.

The slow pace of Ubuntu Software Center (both with its evolving speed and usability, both on the desktop and on submission and adopting process) really sucks !  It only is a bit acceptable now with my new SSD. And I don't really remember any significant change since 9.10, what I do remember is almost everytime the layout of USC changes a bit but the slow speed never change.

But what I'm worried is that just like the backport manpower lacks, the company that supports Ubuntu lacks sufficient dedicated developers to design and implement a really well-polished Ubuntu Software Center and lacks resources to reduce application submission-verify-available time. And community members will hardly ever  agree on one approach and make some real progress with it. Both will render this issue unresolved forever.