ubuntu-mobile-default-settings: better descriptions describing target MIDs

[Peter Cordes]

Binary package hint: ubuntu-mobile-default-settings

 It's not obvious from the package descriptions that Ubuntu Mobile targets small-screen netbooks. Although that does sound familiar from reading news items, it would be appropriate to make it clear in the package descriptions that Ubuntu Mobile is for netbooks, not laptops in general. (I was wondering if Ubuntu had decided to make ubuntu-desktop be for desktops, and ubuntu-mobile be the equivalent for laptops, so pcmcia, wireless, and that sort of thing could be left out of ubuntu-desktop, or at least only be Recommended or Suggested for desktops.)

 anyway, I installed ubuntu-mobile-default-settings on my 15" screen laptop (no palm pilot, so I didn't want to pull in gnome-pilot-sync with ubuntu-mobile), and was unpleasantly surprised by how intrusive it was. Among other things, u-m-d-s installs devilspie with a config file that causes every new X11 window to be maximized and undecorated. The windows aren't re-decorated after moving or resizing, and I don't see an obvious way to do anything with them (other than reading up on devilspie).

 So what I'm trying to say is that u-m and u-m-d-s need descriptions like:
--------------
u-m:
Description: The Ubuntu mobile system
    This package depends on all of the packages in the Ubuntu mobile system.

    Ubuntu Mobile is an alternative to ubuntu-desktop, intended for use on Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs). See
http://www.ubuntu.com/products/mobile. MIDs typically have:
  * 4 to 7 inch touch screen
  * Physical and/or virtual keyboard
  * 2GB to 8GB Flash or disk storage, 256MB+ memory (512MB+ recommended)

    It is also used to help ensure proper upgrades, so it is recommended that it not be removed.
---------------
u-m-d-s:
    This package contains GConf and application default settings as well as the panel configuration for
    an Ubuntu Mobile desktop, intended for use on Mobile Internet Devices with < 7" screens.

    By default, every newly-opened window will be maximized and undecorated, so you probably don't want this on a machine with a larger screen.
---------------

 That MID feature list is from the URL I included, with the obvious or not-really-relevant ones pared out.

[Oliver Grawert (ogra)]

well, what you describe in your description seems to actually be ubuntu-mid
i will change the description of ubuntu-mobile to:

Description: The Ubuntu mobile system
 This package depends on all of the packages in the Ubuntu mobile system.
 Ubuntu Mobile is an alternative to ubuntu-desktop, intended for use on
 7 - 9 inch touchscreen equiped Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs).

[Peter Cordes (peter-cordes)]

On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 12:07:46PM -0000, Oliver Grawert wrote:
> well, what you describe in your description seems to actually be ubuntu-mid

 Ah, I see. ubuntu-mobile and ubuntu-mid are both built from the
mobile-meta source package. I hope you'll update it's description,
too. It currently doesn't say what MID stands for, or have any URLs.
It should probably point to http://www.ubuntu.com/products/mobile, but
maybe ubuntu-mobile shouldn't.

> i will change the description of ubuntu-mobile to:
>
> Description: The Ubuntu mobile system
> This package depends on all of the packages in the Ubuntu mobile system.
> Ubuntu Mobile is an alternative to ubuntu-desktop, intended for use on
> 7 - 9 inch touchscreen equiped Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs).

 Yeah, that's what a curious sysadmin needs to know when seeing this
package available in aptitude. control files can have a Homepage:
field, right? That would be a good idea.

 thanks.

--
Peter Cordes