Needed Main Topic Organization Structure To This Section

[bigpup]

Moderators can easily move threads from one section of the forum to another, so it seems to me that adding a subsection for each main category of additional software would be the easiest thing for us moderators to deal with.

I say yes to main category subsections.

Searching the forum doesn't seem to work well because threads, posts, dotpets, etc., aren't written or named with searching for them in mind. It would be nice if we had a template that everyone would follow for posting dotpets and the like to the Additional Software forum. Laughing

I think a template that everyone would follow for posting dotpets, is definitely needed.

New project anyone?

Speak up tell what you think.

[bigpup]

Flash Wrote:

a self-organizing index or forum is an impossible dream. If it's to be much use at all, someone will have to take on the herculean job of maintaining it. That is, they will have to note every new dotpet posted to the Additional Software section, and start a thread for it in the subsection where it belongs.

If ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE (Pets, N' Stuff) is changed to this, it should force people to organize.

ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE (Pets N' Stuff)-just a main section tittle.

SUBSECTIONS
Internet
Graphics
Drivers
Multimedia
Utility
System
Setup
Filesystem
Document
Business
Network
Games
Eye Candy

If it is made so the ONLY PLACE you can post is in the subsections:
It would organize program posts
It would be self-organizing

Seems to be working for drivers, games, and eye candy.

What Do You Think?

[drongo]

It is hard to find stuff on the Forum, especially if "I want an app that does this sort of thing" is the thing being searched for. I don't know the names of all of the graphics manipulation programs around for instance but I know there are a number of useful pets on here which I occasionally stumble across when a developer upgrades to the latest version.

I think the problem is more fundamental than that though. This forum goes back to very early Puppy releases. Many pets and pups on here probably won't work at all with the latest and greatest Puppy because of dependency problems.

Before we start tinkering with pet categories perhaps now might be a time to think about completely new sections for Puppy 4, Puppy 5, DPup, Upup, Quirky, Woof and derivative Pups. After that is sorted you need categories for software tested for those individual Puppies. Some people still run 1.0.9CE and 2 series pups because of hardware constraints.

Probably needs some well-thought out tinkering not just minor changes.

[Sylvander]

I was browsing through the categories listed in the main index...
And found PET's I didn't know existed.

Also found a dead link when I tried to download a dependency for a Genealogy program recently added.

Will look for that and post a link here when I have time.

[Pizzasgood]

@drongo: That's something I've considered. The problem is that you wind up with a lot of different similar spaces, which is pretty annoying to deal with (both for moderators and due to all the clicks you have to use to reach the target area). And we aren't really a package repository. The way I see it, a set of subsections for each category is about the limit of what we can do before stuff gets ugly. That should be enough to last until Puppy gets around to adopting a normal repo.

Bigpup's list looks like it covers everything, but I'll hold off on creating them for a bit to see if anybody has any thoughts regarding them. Anything missing? Anything too vague/redundant? (Keeping in mind we can add a short description beneath them...)

[8-bit]

The program description is very important for the linux newbe.
Trying to figure out what a program is for from just it's filename does not work.
And that even goes for regular linux users.

So a user looking for a program that does what they want will not be at a loss.

ALSO. A program that is written for a specific Puppy version series should so specify.

Even after a number of years of using Puppy, I still cannot tell you even what some of the programs included in Puppy are for and what they do.

[SouthPaws]

In agreement with drongo; the time has come for deep thought...(hmmm...sounds familiar).

I suggest:

1. mention the compatible kernel to the package at hand

2. add another section labeled ISO's where we can centralize/find links
to every iso/derivative (a sticky at the top of the derivatives section
would suffice)

[bigpup]

The program description is very important for the linux newbe.
Trying to figure out what a program is for from just it's filename does not work.
And that even goes for regular linux users.

So a user looking for a program that does what they want will not be at a loss.

ALSO. A program that is written for a specific Puppy version series should so specify.

Even after a number of years of using Puppy, I still cannot tell you even what some of the programs included in Puppy are for and what they do.

This shows we need a change to the posting template. I very much agree for the same reasons. I think the above statement spells out how it needs to change.
I f you click on New Topic or Post a Reply, the input page comes up. It should have the following to fill-out or choose-
Example:

POST A REPLY or NEW TOPIC

Name (for program post)
Subject (for comment post)
Subject Description
Program description
File name (if program)
Message icons
Message body
Options

This adds 3 new entries:
Name (for program post)
Program description
File name (if program)

Moderators and others what do you think?

[Flash]

... Any reasons why I shouldn't add some subsections?

Go for it, man.

[Sylvander]

Regarding the previously mentioned missing dependency:
See HERE at this link for the Python-2.5.2-i686.pet file.

What's to be done about such dead links?

[Sylvander]

Is Pmenu - Puppy Menu Editor included in any list?

Would be nice to have a list somewhere of all items included [listed (NOT links?) under headings for the various sections][in a post below the main INDEX?], so as to be able to easily check.

[drongo]

Bookmark these sections in the default browser. (If future Puppies have a default browser.)

I see the sections are starting to slide down the ranks.

[Flash]

... I see the sections are starting to slide down the ranks.

That's OK, the idea is they are listed in the sticky index, with links.

[bigpup]

place holder

[bigpup]

Pizzasgood wrote:

The way I see it, a set of subsections for each category is about the limit of what we can do before stuff gets ugly. That should be enough to last until Puppy gets around to adopting a normal repo.

Bigpup's list looks like it covers everything, but I'll hold off on creating them for a bit to see if anybody has any thoughts regarding them. Anything missing? Anything too vague/redundant? (Keeping in mind we can add a short description beneath them...)

Well, it's been a few days. Flash says go for it.

Anything missing? Anything too vague/redundant?

Maybe add:
Desktop
Documents

[Flash]

And perhaps a section called Security?

[bigpup]

Starting to notice something. The first page of Additional Software (Pets N' Stuff) is where you can look for bleeding edge new programs that have not been tried or tested for different versions of Puppy Linux. People try them, use them, give feedback, and they improve.
They creep to page 2 of Additional Software (Pets N' Stuff) and they are aged and well tested.
After being on page 2 for awhile. If you make a link, to the program, in one of the Main Topic lists, these lists become the place to go for solid, good working programs.

[linuxsansdisquedur]

the fact is :
success of a distro (for newbies?) is for a great part depending of how many apps are available in the repo
the matter is :
repo, package manager point to, seem empty in front of the plentifulness apps in the forum (and other non official repo)

puppy is a total amateur distro a hobby for fun (we love it for that) so organization is not higher priority and nobody is paid for remedy that.

the fact is:
to find an apps we have the forum and powerful tools like puppysearch on toolbar
the matter is:
there is many puppy/puplet with no compatibilities because of the puppy series/the dependencies.

this is a bit anachic but that runs
rebuild forum with more order ? perhaps, for a while, but for a long time...
recreate more powerfull tool like PSI or LIT for managing package not only in official repo for each series/pupplet? perhaps the future for puppians?

[Pizzasgood]

Sorry for the delay. It wasn't my intention to hold off this long. I've just been too busy to visit the forum in over a week.

I'll get on this on Tuesday or so.

[Pizzasgood]

Sections added, moved a couple things. Didn't move much because am very tired and would probably screw it up horribly.

Widgets now belong in Desktop, not Eye Candy, unless they are mainly decorations.

I'm going to go to bed now. Hopefully I didn't break anything already. If I did go ahead and yell. Unless you live in my building, in which case shut up before I introduce you to the wrong end of a soldering iron because I'm trying to sleep dang it.

G'night.