-56

We could make a krunner that starts with "uninstall". So you type "uninstall " and it shows a list of the installed programs which have an icon in kickoff. Then you can select one to uninstall(either using or by typing the name further). It would then start a kpackagekit gui to handle the uninstall further with the right package name.

Another thing that comes from this is that you could make an equivalent "install" krunner command of course. That would not be showing a list because that probably will be too many entries, you would have to type something first before a list would be shown.

I think it is an extraordinarily bad idea to make it this easy to install and uninstall software. It is just begging for users ruining their system. Installing and uninstalling software should not be a common task, it should be something you do once when setting up your system and then very rarely after that.

what's the difference:

a) launch konsole => e.g. sudo aptitude install my_software

b) open krunner: "install my_software".

The good thing is that you can use the krunner version in all KDE distributions(in the ideal case of course that they all support it). And it is easier to remember + you get the gui.

For both scenarios, the user can "screw up his system" once he knows how to (un)install software. So I fail to see why it is such a bad idea.

I'm having difficulty imagining a non-linux/KDE user only "very rarely" installing/removing software. Give a teenager a Windows machine for a week, they'll have a couple instant messengers, downloaded games, browser toolbars, torrent client, movie players, twitter client, webcam software, maybe web browser and plugins, a virus or two, etc. I know my own use is certainly not rare to uninstall/remove software but very common. I try a lot of software, yet realizing I'm probably an uncommon case, I still don't imagine general use being remotely "very rare" installing and perhaps even uninstalling software. If it's the case that few linux/KDE users commonly or even uncommnly install extra new software over time, I personally think it would be more reflective of the lack of progress the linux desktop has made for general use and not the goal of where it would want to be to achieve higher adoption (if that were to be the goal of of DE's like KDE).

I myself myself would probably favor instead a desired goal of common to uncommon installation of new programs as linux desktop adoption expands because continued third party applications development will be what makes sure it doesn't remain static.

Secondly, the Command Line KRunner plugin has just as I tested it, allowed me to easily remove what could have been critical system files without prompts or warnings, etc.

Although a user could easily destroy their important files or even their entire system with KRunner in even fewer characters than it would take to type "uninstall amarok" (depending on system setup), I'm very glad the creator of Command Line looked past this negative potential and developed it anyway. I use it irregularly though when I do, it does make my desktop experience better and more convenient, and I appreciate it very much. It's also part of kdebase.

But I think this issue has the same distribution agnostic issue as the other one for the Kickoff menu posted above this in the forum, so it may not be a candidate for KDE, but rather for distributions. I think the same flawed security design vs flawed general concept distinction I mentioned there applies here too.

I have a problem with this because it's not necessarily as simple as that: with dependency checking, dependency conflicts and other such problems possibly arising, I just can't imagine liking having 2 or 3 windows open from a KRunner instance, and that I wouldn't be able to use KRunner for anything else until the install/uninstall is complete.

@Madman: Krunner only starts another application which handles the uninstall itself of course. Isn't that what it is? a tool to easily launch programs/services/etc. Dependency conflicts and such, isn't that the task of the kpackagekit gui?

@peaches: thanks for the post, exactly my thoughts: users install and uninstall a lot of software.

BatCave wrote:a) launch konsole => e.g. sudo aptitude install my_software

And all distributions install/uninstall software this way?
Leave package management to the distribution. Thats why they exist.

@tubasoldier: no they don't, that is just the whole point of the idea. My point in that post was that b) is much easier. And also my point was that no matter how you have to do it, the user will want to install/uninstall software. We might as well make it easier.

I haven't seen a good reason(for me) why this is such a bad idea, only negative votes.

I do not like this idea.

I suggest we would stick on the packagemanager idea. You have one application what you use to install and uninstall packages. Same place where you can see all apps.

This would allow user to uninstall software what is needed, because the user do not want to have it on the menu.