[AppStream] Using AppStream for "Server Applications", Cockpit

[Marius Vollmer]

Hi,

I would like to add a software-center to the Cockpit server manager

  http://cockpit-project.org/
  https://github.com/cockpit-project/cockpit/wiki/Server-Applications

and one of the ideas is to use AppStream.

I haven't really dug deep into this yet, but let me share the questions
I have right now:

 - This would probably mean adding type="server-application" to the
   spec.  Any issues with that?

 - People might balk add installing all of the appstream-data package on
   a server and then ignoring all of it except the five server apps we
   actually have.  Can this be split easily?  Fedora could probably have
   a different appstream-data-server package for the Server variant...

 - We would have to consume the metainfo stuff in Cockpit, which likes
   small servings of JSON.  How would we get a list of
   type="server-application" components from the available appstream
   cache?  Would appstream-util help?  Maybe PackageKit?  Maybe mandate
   YAML and just consume that?

 - In this modern world, we will have to have a container story.  If
   AppStream is the way to go, how do you feel about getting containers
   in it as well?  I know Flatpak uses AppStream, and I'll make sure
   that Server Applications via Flatpak will totally be possible, but
   maybe we also need to include Docker, System Containers, etc to the
   party.  Has anyone thought about this already?

Thanks a lot for any feedback!