[packagekit] Suggestion

[PEDRO MACANAS VALVERDE]

-----Mensaje original-----
De: packagekit-bounces at lists.freedesktop.org [mailto:packagekit-bounces at lists.freedesktop.org] En nombre de Sebastian Heinlein
Enviado el: domingo, 10 de febrero de 2008 15:05
Para: PackageKit users and developers list
Asunto: Re: [packagekit] Suggestion

Am Donnerstag, den 07.02.2008, 17:46 +0000 schrieb Richard Hughes:
> On Wed, 2008-02-06 at 13:17 +0100, Pedro Macanás wrote:
> > I suggest create something similar to apt-zip, to update Linux
> > packages (in a computer without Internet connection) using a Windows
> > computer with Internet access. It could include: apt-zip or similar
> > program, Cygwin packages (to execute the program in Windows ) and Wget
> > (to download the package). 
> 
> What's the use case for this? Someone setting up a Linux computer and
> needing to download some sort of driver to get online? Or for a Linux
> computer that is never connected to the Internet to get updates?

>Some people use wifi based routers for their Internet connection, e.g.
from D-Link. But not all USB and PCI WIFI devices are well supported.
But new users that perhaps only want to give Linux a try won't always
buy new hardware in the first run.

Huawei E220 is support by the Linux kernel.

>A second use case are users with slow Internet connection. There are a
lot of areas in Germany where you only get an ISDN or modem based
connection. It is a pain for those users to download new software at
home and so many download the packages at work.

They could use mobile Internet (HSDPA) in rural areas.  I think broadband access with accessible tariff is a (new generation) right in the European Union.

>Synaptic has got a download script creation feature. It creates a
script / batch file that could be executed in Windows if wget is
installed in the same folder.

But (perhaps?) you need to install wget. And to install wget, you need to install Cygwin. So, there are implicit dependencies: install Cygwin. I would create a wget compact version, to be run in Windows.

Do you know about a (compact) wget version for Windows?.

>Another Linux based alternative is apt-on-cd. It allows to create cd rom
repositories easily.

It would be similar to it, but instead of copy and burn all the repository, one would burn only the packages related with networking (specially PPP that you cannot download if you have not got an Internet connection).

I like this idea, but mixed with apt-zip (this is, a way my Linux computer can list the packages it needs be downloaded, to be later downloaded by apt-on-cd; this is, not download all the packages in the repository).

One would create a Windows version of apt-on-cd later, because I would download the packages using my Windows connection.

>> If it's the later, I think some sort of integration with a "service
> pack" type CD would be useful, but only when we've identified valid use

I think this would be usefull, specially if the user can store the repository in a USB hard disk, USB key and so on (it is easier to create; you don´t have to burn).

> cases and sane interactions for this. Try not to think about what the
> tools can (or could) do, think about what the user is trying to achieve.
> Ideas welcome.

But, specially for USB keys (they hava small space) we need a list of packages to download (the packages the user needs; this could be done by a module similar to apt-zip) and a Windows version (to use apt-on-cd in Windows; we could rename it "apt-on-media", on removable media).

Regards.

Pedro.