Prefab Program Selections (was: RE: Regrouping on "installation profile" idea)

["Gary R. Van Sickle" <g dot r dot vansickle at worldnet dot att dot net>]

> From: Tacvek

[snip]

> I may be just a user, and even one who had *very* little 
> trouble learning to use setup, but I would say either 
> INSTALLATION-TYPE or TASKS
>
> I'm a Debian user, and must note that Debian uses the word 
> task for a similar concept.

Reason #63187638 why Linux will never ever ever ever ever win the desktop.
I'm sorry, but "Tasks" could not be a less meaningful way of describing this
concept.

"Installation Type" is better, but the issue you run into there is, "I want
to change my Installation Type, but I still want to play CygTetris, what do
I do!?!?!"

> Should you be careful with the naming of the meta-packages 
> TASKS may be the clearest.
> Examples:
> 
> * C/C++ Development
> * Gaming  :-)
> * Java Development
> * Latex Development
> * Perl Development
> * SSH Server
> * Web Server
> * X Windows
> 

See how the term "Tasks" loses all meaning after "Perl Development"?

> 
> > Has anyone been collecting the list of names that have been 
> proposed?
> Using '.', '-' and all caps:
> 
> Main Candidates:
> INSTALLATION
> INSTALLATION-PROFILES
> INSTALLATION-TYPE
> PROFILES
> TASKS
> 
> These ones don't seem great:
> DEFAULT-PROFILES
> USER-PROFILES
> FUNCTIONAL-[GROUPS|PROFILES]
> USEFUL-[GROUPS|PROFILES]
> PRESELECTED-[GROUPS|PROFILES|PACKAGES]
> 

The concept that's trying to be communicated here is "A selection of
programs that are likely to be of interest to the person who's eye was
caught by the sdesc".  I think it's pretty critical that "a selection of
programs" be conveyed clearly, and especially avoid the connotation that
they're somehow exclusive to others.  Ergo, "INSTALLATION-anything" seems to
me to be out (see "How do I change my installation {type,profile,whatever}?"
in the FAQ).  "Tasks" just isn't at all intuitive.  "Profiles" makes some
sense, but mostly in the "What's a 'Profile'?" sense in that it doesn't
really collide with any particular concept.  How about:

"Prefab Program Selections"

?  It still has that Unix ugly to it, but it actually says what it means and
means what it says, so everybody wins.

-- 
Gary R. Van Sickle