Re: frontend interaction with ipkg/user prompts (was: Qt Palmtop environment (QPE) 1.3 for Familiar)

On Wednesday 06 June 2001 3:47am, Carl Worth wrote:

> [ipkg prompts] if the user upgrades a package which has a configuration
> file that the user has modified.
>
> ... I can't see a way to eliminate the prompt in all cases, (without wiping
> out user configuration). I do plan to come up with a mechanism, (ala
> debconf), so that frontends such as qipkg can do all prompting in
> their own way, (ie with a dialog box). Would that be acceptable?

Definitely, and it would be very cool.

> Also, the 4th place that prompting can occur is in package-specific
> installation scripts. Once we get a debconf-style mechanism in place I
> would be comfortable in enforcing the behavior that package scripts
> must not assume a tty is available.

I think this is a great idea: why would a package prompt the user
rather than just installing some reasonable defaults and allow the user to
edit those later?

> There were two problems that I found:
>
> 1) Some programs don't currently save state (such as the
> terminal). As a workaround, you might consider making the X
> button lower these applications rather than closing
> them. (I don't know how easy that would be in QPE).

I added state-saving to more apps today, but the Terminal will never be able
to save state of course. I don't mind the Terminal being an odd-one-out,
since it's really not supposed to be a common application (reference the poor
fellow on the ipaq@hh list who's screen is worn out from all the writing ;-)

> 2) I found that several times I would try to "run" an
> application, (which I knew was already running), and it
> wouldn't come to the front, (nothing visible happened at
> all). I don't know if this was application-specific or a
> general problem with raising windows.

I've found Mindbreaker had this problem (fixed). Another cause of this is
that currently, once an app crashes once, it can't restart (this'll be fixed
of course).

> Other than those, I found the user-interface to be generally
> consistent and intuitive.

Thanks!

--
Warwick