Re: Gnome 3 Extensions/Themes Website?

[Bidossessi SODONON <bidossessi sodonon yahoo fr>]

Option 1:

 We don't control the situation:

  - People package up extensions in distributions
  - There's no version mechanism or update mechanism, so when you
    update the shell, your extensions get out of sync, and start
    causing your shell to misbehave

I have to disagree here, because that's exactly what packaging for a distribution is about: making sure versions match. That's a packager's "job".

  - People have no idea what extensions they have installed, and file
    bugs against GNOME Shell complaining about these bugs

The first place people will file bugs at is their own distribution, not upstream. Besides testers, most people only file bugs upstream by referal (when the bug has been proven not to originate from distro packaging).

  - There's no review mechanism and people get into the habit of
    installing code from random places that can do anything.

Each distribution has it's review mechanism. If not, the status of packager for a distribution makes no sense.

  - Extensions work their way into default install sets of distributions

 This is happening currently.

Option 2:

 We have an extensions website

  - Extension installation is in the hands of the user

This is the wrong way to go about it. The recommended way to install anything in a distro is to use its package manager, and not go about it on his/her own. That's exactly what breaks packages.

  - Normal users get a clean, designed experience
  - If you go to the website, you get the message (through text, design,
    art, etc) that you are hacking up your GNOME experience.
  - We strongly discourage distribution packaging of extensions.

The website in my view could be the reference point for extension makers, and packagers. But it should not be the point from where users install their extensions. Unless we want to start handling version management in extensions (no telling where that would lead), we should just make use of the proven way to distrubute packages in any distribution: rely on the packagers to do their job and keep their packages up to date with teir distro's version of gnome-shell. This is not the time and place to start implementing a new distribution channel.

Ultimately, a "1-click-installer" link to <my-distro>-extension-x (<rant>will packagekit ever get there?</rant>) will be  a good addition, but let's not try to reinvent the wheel here.