Ubuntu Wiki

• Launchpad Entry: desktop-lucid-featured-applications

• Created: 2010-02-24

• Contributors: RickSpencer, RobertAncell

• Packages affected: software-center

Criteria:

• Is available in main or universe
• Is a GUI app
• Does not replace a default application
• Does not replace another featured application
• Is well designed for the task and robust

Approach for selecting apps:

1. decide on the number of applications desired
2. decide on criteria for selecting applications
3. get a list of suggested apps
4. canonical-desktop-team (and regular contributors) will discuss each proposed app if it meets criteria
5. If there is overflow (more apps that meet criteria than slots designated) the canonical-desktop-team will select apps to drop off
6. Selected apps will then available for review, comments, feedback

Number:

• It appears that 11 apps fit in one screen of the software-center category list.
• 2 screens max, bring us to max. 22 featured apps

Personas:

• A graphic designer (might be amateur)
• A child
• ...

Proposed featured applications:

• arista (media transcoding)
• cheese (photobooth)
• gnucash (accounting)
• homebank (accounting)
• gramps (genealogy)

• <insert scientific tools?>

• wxmaxima (computer algebra system [c.f. Mathematica, Maple])
• stellarium (planetarium)
• celestia-gnome (universe simulation)
• dia (diagramming)
• gtg (Getting Things GNOME, work tracker)
• gnome-do (fast keyboard based access)
• deja-dup (backup)
• liferea (rss feed reader)
• parcellite (clipboard manager)
• gftp (FTP client)
• filezilla (FTP client)
• rednotebook (Desktop Journal)
• amule (P2P client based on eDonkey network)
• miro (media player which includes RSS and podcast download)
• wine (Windows compatibility layer)
• compizconfig-settings-manager (advanced configuration tool for compiz)
• gtk-recordmydesktop (desktop recorder [screencasts..])
• wammu (sync and backup for cellphones)
• memaker (avatar creator)

Programming:

• monodevelop (software development)
• geany (IDE)
• eclipse (IDE)
• anjuta (IDE)
• nemiver (graphical debugger)
• glade (Interface designer)
• bzr-explorer (gui frontend to bzr)

Editors:

• Graphics:
  • gimp (bitmap graphics)
  • mypaint (easy painting with lots of brushes)
  • inkscape (vector graphics)
  • blender (3d graphics)
• Audio:
  • jokosher (multi-track studio [simple])
  • ardour (multi-track studio [advanced])
  • audacity (audio editor)
  • easytag (audio files tag editor)
• imagination (DVD generator as pitivi does not support it)
• hugin (panorama sticher)
• scribus (DTP)

Media Centers:

• moovida (media center)
• mythtv (Media center/PVR)

Tools:

• virtualbox-ose (virtual machine)
• gaiksaurus (thesaurus)
• gufw (firewall tool)
• keepassx (Cross Platform Password Manager/Database)

Games:

• frozen-bubble (arcade game)
• glchess (Chess)
• pychess (Chess)
• flightgear (Flight Gear, flight simulator)
• FPS:
  • sauerbraten (FPS)
  • nexuiz (FPS)
  • warsow (fast-moving FPS)
  • openarena (quake3-clone FPS)
• Strategy:
  • spring-mods-kernelpanic (RTS)
  • freeciv-client-gtk (turn based strategy)
  • glob2 (isometric strategy game)
  • wesnoth (Battle for Wesnoth, fantasy turn based strategy)
  • simutrans (transport simulator)
  • pioneers (settlers of catan clone)
• Racing:
  • torcs (car racing)
  • supertuxkart
  • armagetronad (Tron lightcycle game, fully playable without 3D support)
  • extremetuxracer (Tux racer)
• Adventure:
  • uqm (The Ur-Quan masters aka Starcon 2 - ex commercial game)
  • beneath-a-steel-sky (Beneath a Steel Sky, Adventure, ex commercial)
  • flight-of-the-amazon-queen (Flight of the Amazon Queen, Adventure, ex commercial)
  • yofrankie
• scorched3d (turn based tank game)
• pingus (lemmings clone)
• fretsonfire (Guitar hero clone)
• chromium-bsu (simple shot-'em-up)
• teeworlds (multiplayer 2d platform shooter)
• neverball (3D floor-tilting game)
• tumiki-fighters (simple shoot-'em-up, no need for 3D support)

• <insert games suitable for children>

Comments:

• gnucash
  • I would suggest "homebank" instead, it is much, much easier to grasp IMHO. It doesn't require a budget-style balance workflow like accountants are used to. --Jeff

    • Agreed -- qense

• gftp

  • I'd suggest FileZilla instead, it looks better and is more modern. -- qense

• Boxee Beta is a media center, and it is packaged, unlike XMBC. -Wiggums

  • Boxee is not in the Ubuntu archives, thus is not installable from the Software Centre -- RobertAncell

• Parcellite is might break copy/paste in applications like OpenOffice. Installing it is very dangerous for non-experimented users as they are very unlikely to understand why things are broken. The idea of a "clipboard manager" is, IMHO, too complex. It should be invisible. I strongly recommand to *not* feature it. -- LionelDricot

• 3D requirements... -- Arand
  • chromium-bsu seems to run extremely sluggish when 3D acceleration is not available (simple noveau vs nvidia test), if we want a simple 2D game this might not be the best choice
  • fretsonfire is virtually unplayable without 3D support
  • stellarium is virtually unusable without 3D support
  • moovida is virtually unusable without 3D support

Rejected choices:

• epiphany-webkit (light weight web browser?) DUPE of Firefox
• gnumeric (light weight spreadsheet) DUPE of OO.o
• abiword (lightweight and collaborative document editing) DUPE of OO.o
• xchat-gnome (IRC) DUPE of empathy
• pyroom (editor) NOT GUI
• gwibber (twitter) Already shipping by default in Lucid.
• PDF Mod (PDF modification) NOT PACKAGED
• XBox Media Center NOT PACKAGED
• gpodder (podcast download tool) DUPE of Rhythmbox

Current choices:

• cheese
• homebank
• stellarium
• gnome-do
• deja-dup
• eclipse
• gimp
• inkscape
• blender
• audacity
• gufw
• frozen-bubble
• fretsonfire
• pingus
• moovida
• liferea
• arista
• gtg
• freeciv
• supertuxcart
• chromium-bsu

CategorySpec