[Bug 1180899] Re: Update list hides important details

[Yuri Khan]

OK, there are three pieces of information that is present in all
packages: the package name, the description synopsis, and the extended
description, and there are restrictions on how they interact. (Not
actually restrictions as in MUST NOT in the RFC 2119 sense, but a strong
SHOULD NOT). The Policy does not talk about the actual name.

3.1: The package name must be unique.

3.4: The description as a whole must be descriptive. (Duh.)

The description synopsis should contain the most important information
for such cases when the extended synopsis is not displayed, such as the
“apt-cache search” output, one line per package.

3.4.1: The description synopsis should not be redundant when displayed
along with the package name. I interpret the “Remember that in many
situations the user may only see the synopsis line - make it as
informative as you can” part as “the synopsis line must be reasonably
descriptive in absence of the extended description”, not as “the
synopsis line can be displayed without the package name in sight”.

3.4.2: The extended description is not a continuation of the synopsis;
it needs to stand on its own. Presumably, it is displayed in a separate
pane or as a separate text section. Also presumably, getting the
extended description requires some user effort.


For the Update Manager, I think we can agree the extended description is mostly irrelevant: it makes no sense to display it for all packages. Its place is in the details pane, along with the relevant changelog excerpt.

The question is about the package name and the description synopsis. You
defend the position that the description synopsis is sufficient.

However, the synopsis cannot contain the package name, by 3.4.1. And
many packages have actual name as the package name, so, in general, the
synopsis will not contain the actual name. It follows that, until and
unless a new field containing the actual name is added, we need the
package name displayed at all times, because it’s the closest that we
have.

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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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