[gsoc2011] PackageKit integration for Ubuntu Software Center

[Matthias Klumpp]

Hi!

>>  * familiarize with PackageKit workflow, especially with the
>> python-packagekit bindings;
>> Have you considered to use PackageKit's GIR data with Python, instead
of
>> using the original Python bindings?
>> [...]
> 
> Well, I didn't know there are gi data for pk. It's a great suggestion,
> I will use them. I've tried googling for some documentation, but I
> only found your bug report about temporarely disabling them. Can you
> please give some more hints, like how can I setup an environment with
> PackageKit GI?
Do you use Ubuntu or Debian? The GI support is currently enabled for the
PackageKit version in Debian experimental. With the new PK 0.6.14 upload,
it will also be in unstable (pkg will be there today or tomorrow).
You can simply install gir1.2-packagekitglib-1.0 then. (Debian packages
work on Ubuntu too) As an alternative, you can try the daily builds of PK
from my PPA at [1].
You can find PKs documentation in packagekit-docs (and then in your
Devhelp) or at [2]. Then PyG should do the rest.
If there are any problems with the GIR itself, feel free to contact me, as
I have a strong interest in a high-quality GIR too ;-) (I use it together
with Vala)
If you need changes in any PackageKit package on Debian/Ubuntu or if you
need some quick package builds, you can also always ask me. (For example
splitting up the GNOME-PackageKit package might be a good idea because
parts of it could be useful for USC too, like the session dialogs)

>>> A particular issue I can start clarifying is the app-data.xml download
>>> policy, mentioned in a previous thread[2] by Enrico Zini. Any hints
>>> for me?
>> Note: @all on this list, please correct me if I'm telling something
wrong
>> here, as I haven't attended the AppStream meeting...
>> AFAIK the app-data XML stuff is available in one package (maybe
together
>> with the icons?) and gets downloaded via the package manager. This is
>> already done for the USC, at Debian we already have a package like
this:
>> http://packages.debian.org/sid/app-install-data (but this is not
working
>> with the XML files, it ships .desktop files at time)
>> Then, after the package is installed, apt-xapian-index is executed to
>> create a Xapian index of the XML files, which is searched in the USC.
>> Hope this solves your question. (Or I got you wrong...)
> 
> AFAIK, app-install-data is the "old" thing, Debian and Ubuntu
> specific. The "new thing" should be distro agnostic (I might be
> wrong). See this bug:
> https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=488968 for Fedora
> app-install-data status.
Ah, that one :) The AppInstall-Project was started by Richard some time
ago as an distro-agnostic replacement for Ubuntu/Debian's AppInstall
solution. It features a SQLite database to store application metainfo.
This project has been replaced by the new AppStream concept, which uses
XML files which are then used to update a Xapian database. The XML files
are delivered in a package, just like the app-install-data before, while
the Xapian DB is generated by axi. (Well, I think this tool should be
renamed to app-xapian-index or something which does not sound apt-related)
Then problem is that we don't have any sample XML data except the stuff
which is available at [3].
I'm planning to generate some XML data for testing soon, I will publish it
then. (But at time I've really less time...)

Cheers,
  Matthias


[1]: https://edge.launchpad.net/~ximion/+archive/packagekit
[2]: http://www.packagekit.org/gtk-doc/
[3]: http://gitorious.org/appstream/resources/trees/master