RFC: On-demand package installation API in kdelibs

[Lubos Lunak]

On Wednesday 28 of July 2010, Sune Vuorela wrote:
> On 2010-07-28, Lubos Lunak <l.lunak at suse.cz> wrote:
> >  I'd like to add API somewhere to kdelibs that would make it easy for
> > applications to install additional packages if they find out some
> > functionality is missing. The 11.3 release of openSUSE already has this
> > feature, you can read about it at [1].
>
> I am really against this kind of features.  Random applications should
> not ask to install other applications.
>
> Installing applications usually requires priviledged access, and just
> because a user starts amarok, 'stuff' shouldn't request priviledged access.
>
> It is okay to just gently say "You requested to do something, which
> currently can't be done with $app, please go to package manager and
> install $application|$plugin",
> but any magic to try to install it should not happen.

 I'm pretty sure my current implementation has a switch to turn it all off for 
the hardcore types who prefer to do things the hard way. I'm also pretty sure 
the rest of people would prefer the easier way.

 And you forgot to actually explain why you are against it, you just stated 
that you are.

> magic that installs random things, and magic that randomly pops up
> asking for priviledged access is what they do in redmond OS, and not
> something we should have here, or in any way support the creation of.

 There is nothing random. The user gets asked about things that are missing 
when they are missing (and gets asked).

-- 
 Lubos Lunak
 openSUSE Boosters team, KDE developer
 l.lunak at suse.cz , l.lunak at kde.org