Usability/Softwaremanagement

From openSUSE

Current Status

The software section in openSUSE 10.3 contains 10 modules:

• Online Update
• Software Management
• Add-On Product
• Automatic Online Update
• Community Repositories
• Installation into Directory
• Media Check
• Online Update Configuration
• Patch CD Update
• Software Repositories

That leads to the following usability problems:

• unclear wording and meaning (What'S the difference between online update, automatic online update and online update configuration?)
• inefficient working as 10 modules need to be processed by the users mind
• unclear workflows (e.g. selected community repositories appear in software repositories)

Ideas for Improvement

Simplifying Repository Management

Merging "Add-On Product" and "Community Repository" module into "Software Repositories" module to have one module for "Add Software Sources".

Overview of all repositories (current "Software Repositories" module)

Add new pre-configured online repository

Add new ftp repository

Simplifying Software Management

This is an idea how an integrated software management module could look like. The redesign followed two assumptions:

• current software management module needs some UI simplyfications
• the most regularly performed action is installation of new packages, therefore it should be prominent
• less frequently performed actions are moved to the menu bar

Search section

Browsing section

Software menu: importing and exporting functionality	Software menu: viewing -devel and -debuginfo packages	Software menu: all about dependencies	Software menu: installing all matching -devel/-debuginfo packages
Online update menu: starts corresponding YaST modules	Novell Customer Center menu: starts registration and opens NCC in a browser	Reoositories: starts YaST repository module