[Bug 1180899] Re: Update list hides important details

[Yuri Khan]

I will quote once more from the Policy. 3.4, The description of a
package:

> The description should describe the package (the program) to a user
> (system administrator) who has never met it before so that they have
> enough information to decide whether they want to install it.

In other words, it’s the phrase with which a package introduces itself:
“Hi! I’m [firefox], a [Safe and easy web browser from Mozilla].” “Hello!
My name is [bzr], I am an [easy to use distributed version control
system]”. Note how the description extends on the package name and does
not (and need not) make sense without it.

When I installed Ubuntu for the first time, I knew no preinstalled
packages by name and it might be convenient if they introduced
themselves at first, second, maybe fifth update. Now that I’ve been
using Ubuntu for 6 years straight, it’s getting silly.

If you want to argue that bzr should be named bazaar, no problem. File a
bug against bzr, so that it be renamed and bzr made a transitional dummy
package.

But please do not ask that bzr be *described* as “Bazaar”: this
description says nothing to help me decide if I want it.

The solution is not to put program titles into the description, it is to
show package names *along with* the description.

BTW lintian complains not only at package name included literally in the
synopsis line, but also with minor changes, e.g. in letter case. So e.g.
putting the word “Firefox” in the synopsis won’t fly.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1180899

Title:
  Update list hides important details

Status in “update-manager” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Since Ubuntu Raring, update-manager no longer shows any useful
  information by default. I click the Update Manager icon in the
  indicator area, select “Show updates”, it shows a list of application
  names and “Xubuntu base”, with download size in the right-hand column.
  To see exact package names and changelogs, I have to expand the
  “Xubuntu base” node, expand the “Technical description” area and click
  through each package.

  This new display format is a regression for me. In Precise, the list
  was flat and displayed application names (package descriptions),
  package names and download size, all in the main list, which only
  required me to scroll through to see the list of updates and quickly
  decide if I want to update now or defer until a more convenient
  moment; in the new version, I am confused by multiple packages that
  have identical descriptions.

  As a user familiar with package naming conventions, I would like to
  see the package names and possibly versions (both installed and
  available), in the list of updates. On the other hand, the download
  size of each individual package is of low importance to me, as I have
  a fast and unlimited Internet connection.

  I therefore suggest that the list of columns should be configurable
  (even if via dconf-editor only), and that columns be added for package
  name, installed version and available version.

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