Revamped maemo Downloads
Many of you already have noticed that maemo.org's Downloads has gone through major improvements to provide more and better visibility to the best and fresh software around. The current catalog offers specific results for each OS and gives the users editorial power, promoting those applications with better rates and more downloads. It also integrates screenshots everywhere, this way even newcomers can get a quick visual overview of what the maemo community has to offer.
We are selecting periodically The Pearl, an application we think it's outstanding and deserves top visibility in the maemo space. Currently we are doing this selection ourselves but we are open for suggestions to make the community decide. Some elements we are considering at the moment:
- Stable software attractive for end users. Beta only if it's really worth. Alpha to be avoided systematically.
- Screenshot almost required. It provides much more information to users and this way we help developers fighting laziness.
- All the better if the application is also available in other OSs since then we can organize a week with the same app promoted on all OSs.
- In case of doubt open&free software goes first, although closed source pearls will be also promoted.
The revamped maemo Downloads is also useful for Nokia, detecting what are the applications to follow and promote. Nokia's OS2008 User Site follows maemo Downloads to recommend third party applications to the Internet Tablet owners. The benefits of being in the top ranks include getting more awareness from a testing, marketing and customer care perspective.
Comments:
There are now 3 RSS feeds for last 10 updated applications, one for each OS. It seems that the feeds are already in use on ITT. http://www.internettablettalk.com/software/
FBReader is a popular application that has versions available in OS2006-7-8. I contacted the author when publishing the Pearl, thinking that he would fix the issue soon. It didn't happen, my lesson learned.
Out of curiosity, why is FBReader the pearl for OS2008? There are no screenshots, and there isn't even an install file.
Thanks for the feedback!
About broken RSS: https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2294
Packages up to date with correct dependencies, this depends on the maintainers and is not tied to the Downloads section itself. If you find issues let the developers know.
Faster, yes we are discussing how to make it faster.
Add an application three times, this has been discussed at https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2121
Tim, about seeing more than 5 results in separate pages... in fact I had the same thought - but forgot to file the enhancement request. Would you (or someone else) like to do that? We could do it in a next sprint.
Agreed with the comment on dependencies.
I like being able to see applications sorted by "Stars", "Popular", and "Fresh". Would it be possible to see more than just the top 5? Maybe one page that lists all applications, sortable by different fields?
Screenshots are great. It would also be helpful to enable linking to external reviews by the tablet blogging community.
I don't want to add an application three times (one time for each OS version).
New bells and whistles are fine, but more important is keeping the packages reliably up to date. Don't force me to search for dependencies to make an application installable.
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