Thread Hijack - Our package management GUI tools need improvement

[Mike Kearey]

In general our single, most commonly criticized feature is package
management.

I do think we need bigger efforts in this area:

- Make the GUI tools _just work_
	For example, have one graphical tool. It should manage both on and
offline package management. Make it such that it can manage package
installs from CD as well as from mirrors. In the situation where the
system has been updated, and the user is attempting to install a package
from CD - If the package has deps that have been updated Tell the User.
Explain that the specific package has been obsoleted. Offer the user the
choice to go to updates mirrors on Internet to get the package or to cancel.

- Integrate the GUI tools with the yum-updatesd - If there is a conflict
when yum-updatesd is running, Tell The User. Explain why this is
happening. Perhaps integrate the GUI tool in such a way that it starts,
informs the user that yum-updatesd is running, and shows the status of
yum-updatesd - plus the opportunity to control it.


- Make yum at least equal in speed to the alternative tools like apt-get


I constantly see people criticizing yum for it's apparent slowness. This
has been going on for years now. We need to do real side by side
comparisons to identify where the problems are. I am guilty of ignoring
the slowness as it 'just works' for me and I am a happy sys admin for
it. For many newer users, speed is essential. For many new users,
installing packages, and exploring the system is the central activity.

So package management GUIs should not be under-estimated in their
importance.


Cheers,
Michael