New software idea, helping users find preferred applications.

[Erik Parmann]

Good day. I am sorry if I have posted this in the wrong category. Maybe 
it shouldn't be in the ubuntu user mail-list at all, but maybe
on freedesktop. But anyway, here is my idea:
The linux "killer app" is for me, all the free (as in both freedom and 
bear) software. And the way of getting all these great apps, the package 
manager. There exists tools for most of the stuff we need, the problem 
is sometimes to find the tool that you need. My idea is a software that 
gives you suggestion on software that does the job you want to do. Lets 
call this software for Bill. I imagine it to work together with HAL and 
the GUI. Lets take a example of how I think it should work:

You buy the new creative zen, and plug in into your linux computer. It 
detects the new hardware, and sends it on to hal (and I am not sure how 
this works, but that is not important). Hal then does it stuff, and when 
it find out that it don't know what to do with the Zen (it is not a mass 
storage device), it asks Bill. Bill uses the name and checks its 
database, and finds that gnomad2 is the perfect tool for Zen. It then 
pops up a small window for the user, with a explanation; It has found 
out that you have plugged inn a Zen, and gnomad2 is the best tool for 
the job. It also shows a small description of the tool and gives the 
user the option to install it. Then when it is installed the user can 
use his mp3player. This is easier than the "old" linux way (search 
google, find software, check package manager) and the windows way (use 
CD, reboot, use app). It could also let HAL know what app it installed, 
so HAL could open that app next time you put your Zen in.

But I also imagine it to work with other things than hardware. Lets say 
you try to open a file, but you don't have any software that knows what 
to do with it. Then your GUI (gnome in our case) asks Bill what app to 
use, it pops up a small windows with the description, and lets the user 
install it. And it could then let your GUI know what app it used, so it 
automatically assigns that filetype for that app.

Thats how I imagine the result to be.
This is how I (as a non-developer, newer-programmed) suggest that it works:
The software should be split in 2, the main software, and the part 
responsible for communicating with the package manager. So you don't 
have to change the main software to make it work with a new package 
manager. It has a database over both filetypes and hardware names (like 
zen), and software that it recommends. It should differ between gnome 
and kde apps. And it can recommend more than 1 app. Then there is a 
second database, that is the distro-specific database. Here the distro 
can define its own recommendations. And this database will overrule the 
first database. So if the distro wants to recommend  Neutrino instead, 
it adds Neutrino as the preferred app for Zen. So when Bill knows what 
software to recommend, it searches the package manager for the software. 
If it recommends 3 applications, but only 2 of them exist in the package 
manager, it filters the other one away. Then is uses the description 
from the packagemanager, and passes than information on to the 
front-end. The front end shows the description, and a button to install 
the application(s). If the user wants to install, Bill asks the package 
manager to do the job. Then when it is done, Bill reports back to the 
application witch called it (that would be HAL or the GUI).
This allowes the main database to be upgraded without interfering with 
the distro specific choices. It also allows distro's to include less 
software by default, as long as it maintains the distro specific 
database good. So when the user actually need software Y, the operative 
system "magically" tells him what software to install, and helps him to 
do it.

If you have problems understanding what I write, just ask me to 
refraise. And if this is the wrong place to come with the idea, what 
then is the right place? And if the idea is just idiotic, let me know.
Comments please :P
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