Proposing a New App Developer Upload Process

[Michael Hall]

On 09/04/2012 05:50 PM, Scott Kitterman wrote:
> On Wednesday, September 05, 2012 12:11:18 AM Emmet Hikory wrote:
>>     For application developers who prefer standard locations, I don't see
>> any reason we oughtn't simply add their packages to the repository with
>> immediate backport: in addition to allowing application developers to put
>> their files in any policy-compliant location, it automatically provides a
>> safe upgrade path for users.  Even for software with release cycles that
>> require significantly more frequent updates than typically provided by our
>> release cycle, there are few barriers to keeping this updated in backports,
>> and users who have installed from backports will remain with backports, so
>> their most active and interested users may be expected to always have the
>> latest version, while highly conservative users will be able to enjoy a
>> consistent ABI during the life of a given release (although these users
>> would need to wait for our next release before using the package).
> 
> +1.  I've never understood why there is resistance to this.
> 
> Scott K
> 

App developers don't want to be distro maintainers.  That's why so many
never attempt to get their apps into Universe or Debian.

Right now PPAs are the easiest way for app developers to deliver their
apps, so that's what they're using.  It makes things worse (and less
safe) for users, but when they are faced with the choice between
installing yet another PPA from someone they don't know, or not getting
the app they want, they have been installing the PPA.

Michael Hall
mhall119 at ubuntu.com