Ubuntu Wiki

• Launchpad Entry: https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+spec/enabling-additional-components

• Created: Date(2006-06-20T14:21:59Z) by MichaelVogt

• Contributors: MichaelVogt, MattZimmerman, SebastianHeimlein

• Packages affected: synaptic, gnome-app-install, ubiquity, debian-installer

Summary

The unsupported "universe" and "multiverse" components are currently turned off by default in ubuntu. We want to enable them by default.

Rationale

Enabling universe and multiverse is one of the first things that people usually do. We should enable them by default and make sure that we show clearly in the various GUIs what is supported and what is unsupported.

Use cases

1. Alice wants to install a new audio-codec that is only available in universe.
2. Bob is very interessted in gaming and thinks the list of games in main is too limited. He likes to install games from multiverse and does not care if those are not officially supported.
3. Mallory always wondered why he had to do a additonal click and download in gnome-app-install when he wanted to install his first application from universe.

Scope

Gnome-app-install and synaptic needs to be modified to show better what component a package comes from. The installer needs to ship a sources.list with universe and multiverse enabled.

Design

Gnome-app-install gets a "Show" optionmenu with the following options:

• All Free/Open source applications - Show only applications which can be freely used,

modified and distributed. This includes the main as well as the community maintained applications (main+universe).

• All available applications - Show all available applications including unsupported, restricted and third party application (main+universe+multiverse+dapper-commercial+external)
• Only main applications - Show only the main applications which are officially supported by the ubuntu project (main)
• Only restricted applications - Show only applications which are restricted in use "or distribution by copyright or by legal issues in some countries (multiverse)
• Only third party applications - Show only applications which are provided and supported by third party vendors (dapper-commercial+external)

The default is "All Free/Open source applications". This way the user can decide what applications he wants to see. If he is only interessted in free software he does not have to change the default (note that "restricted" does not have to be included in the above list because it does not ship desktop-files). In addition to the filter all applications in gnome-app-install get a little emblem that indicates graphical where the application comes from and what support status it has (plus a tooltip to explain the emblem).

Synaptic will follow gnome-app-install and have the emblems in the GUI with the appropriate explaination. The sections view already distiguishs between "main", "universe", "multiverse". A new view "Component" (in addition to Section, Status, Search Results) will be added that includes "main", "restricted", "unvierse", "multiverse", "3rd party". The custom filter property will be extended to support the component as a match rule. With the various sorting options that the treeview offers this should give the user enough flexibility to easily see what non-suported/non-free pacakges he has installed.

The installer installs Packages.gz files for all components. This ensures that the user does not have to download the full Packages file on the first apt-get update (because apt uses If-Modified-Since on the available Packages file).

We assume for the command line users that they will pay attention to the "Section" of the "apt-cache show" output. In addition we should provide a convenient way to disable the non-free repositories. In addition to the current "software-properties --enable-component=" we should provide a "software-properties --disable-component=" commandline argument. We could also tell the user (analog to the current "The following NEW packages will be installed:" message) about unsupported packages that are installed.

As a backoff plan we will just keep the situation as it is now (multiverse/universe disabled) and use "software-properties --enable-component=universe" if universe is required.

Implementation

The following steps should be taken to update the UIs:

1. update gnome-app-install to make the available filtering more flexible and e.g. hide all not free applications
2. update synaptic to support a icon for the components (like the emblems in launchpad)
3. add support in synaptic for the "Components" view
4. add support in synaptic for the component matching in the custom filters

Review comments

Enabling universe by default makes a significant difference to command-line users too. Many of our users use apt-get (because that's the cultural default in many communities). Something should be done to draw the attention of a command-line user when they install unsupported software via apt-get. -iwj 22.6.06

[wiki:JoeyStanford Joey Stanford] - As the [wiki:ColoradoTeam Colorado LoCo Team] lead and a QUNU Ubuntu Volunteer support person, this is the number 1 question I am always asked. This is usually followed by "How do I get Ubuntu to play media files?" which is another spec. +1 for Main, Security, Multiverse, and Universe.

I admire Ubuntu for not providing all this patent-encumbered and otherwise inappropriate software. I think there is a strong case for a 'who cares about patents' derivied distribution; and a strong case for keeping Ubuntu pure. I've set out some aspects of the arguments for and against some related topics in EthicalUbuntu. Why not leave it to Mepis to bundle mp3 and DVD playback. After all, we're derived from Debian, so we shouldn't be too proud. JackWasey

SebastianHeinlein:

• The artwork team will create an icon for non-free software. See PolishHumanIcons

• gnome-app-install now allows to search for supported, free, non-free, third-party and all applications. I chose a ComoboBox instead of the checkbuttons, since the "cumultative" ccheckbuttons are too complex: you have to check two buttons to see multiverse and there was no "show only ..." option.

• @JackWasey: Ubuntu won't ship the software of multiverse. It's just about making it easier for the user if he or she wants that stuff - if this a promotion of non-free software remains to be seen.

• I am a little bit unsure about the section view in Synaptic. Since we will get an icon, I think that we can merge all section - and skip the checkbutton/combobox.

• Disabling multiverse/universe will be quite easy with the new (and not yet approved) repository dialog. See UpdateManagerEdgyRepo

• Restriced doesn't contain any applications and so there is no need for a filter in gnome-app-install

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