PackageKit backend for Software Center: week 10 overview report
This week I’ve been trying to make things work correctly under openSUSE, and also provide an easy way of testing. I couldn’t achieve it, but I’m optimistic about doing it in the current week.
What’s been keeping me busy:
- getting a generic channels list in non-Debian based distributions; how things work: when the update-software-center script is called, a xapian database is populated with application data from various sources (software sources lists, AppStream XMLs, etc); each document entry has an origin property; based on this unique origins a list of software channels is generated dynamically (such as Provided by vendor, For purchase, From given PPA); I couldn’t find (yet) a friendly way of getting a package’s origin in PackageKit so I’m currently mocking it; what now works is listing all the applications from Appstream under an unknown channel;
- compiling a list of dependencies and a recipe for building my PK branch under openSUSE;
- fixing the script that populates the software-center database, making it work with PK too;
What I’m currently working on:
- building pygobject, glib, gobject-introspection and PK from master branches in openSUSE; next step is packaging;
- sanely hiding unused features, such as For purchase (Canonical specific), What’s new or Recommendations
- fixing the newer soon-to-be-pushed-as-default gtk3 interface, so that all the functionality of the backend is there; (fixing my code and assuring there are no unnecessary apt imports)
- getting the PK branch merged into s-c main
- testing and improving (I’m particulary unhappy with some implementation details, such as the fake caching I’m doing inside the PackageInformation class, or the mix of asynchronous calls with synchronous)
What I had on my calendar, and probably won’t happen before the end of GSoC is the personall AppStream mirror and the icon fetching work.
That’s it.
PS: today, somebody asked on #PackageKit when will this be ready, planning to push it to the next Debian. This sounds awesome .