Bug 363293

Summary: Improved filtering on update candidates
Product: [openSUSE] openSUSE 10.3 Reporter: Markus Elfring <Markus.Elfring>
Component: YaST2Assignee: Stefan Hundhammer <shundhammer>
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX QA Contact: Jiri Srain <jsrain>
Severity: Enhancement    
Priority: P5 - None    
Version: Final   
Target Milestone: ---   
Hardware: Other   
OS: openSUSE 10.3   
Whiteboard:
Found By: --- Services Priority:
Business Priority: Blocker: ---
Marketing QA Status: --- IT Deployment: ---

Description Markus Elfring 2008-02-20 15:41:20 UTC
I would like to filter not only on recommended patches but also on other updated components that are indicated by a blue font in the user interface of the YaST software management.
Would you like to make their selection easier?
Comment 1 Jozef Uhliarik 2008-02-21 15:17:03 UTC
Lado what are you mean about it?
Comment 2 Ladislav Slezák 2008-02-25 13:58:56 UTC
This is something for the package selector widget...
Comment 3 Stefan Hundhammer 2008-02-25 14:17:30 UTC
Simply sort by versions: Click on either the "installed version" or the "candidate version" column. That will sort "by colors": Red first (installed package newer than any from any active repositories), blue (there is a newer version in any repository), black (up-to-date).
Comment 4 Markus Elfring 2008-02-25 16:40:27 UTC
The sorting helps only for a preselected list.
I suggest to add an entry "Available software updates" to the drop down control "Filter:" in the top left edge. Would you like to support the easier display of all "blue" components?
Comment 5 Markus Elfring 2008-02-25 16:52:41 UTC
I guess blind users might appreciate more direct filters in the list box ...
Comment 6 Stefan Hundhammer 2008-02-25 16:57:53 UTC
Adding more and more entries to that filters combo box does not make the package selector any more usable. There are already complaints that it's too complex (asking us to REDUCE the number). And this request would just add to the complexity with very few users benefitting.

For color-blind users we still have the textual information. 

Blind users already have a hard time coping with the amount of information that is displayed in that dialog. For them it would make the situation worse, not better.

We have to keep a reasonable balance between geekiness and usability.
Comment 7 Markus Elfring 2008-06-25 14:00:36 UTC
(In reply to comment #3 from Stefan Hundhammer)
> Simply sort by versions: Click on either the "installed version" or the
> "candidate version" column. That will sort "by colors":

The ordering by update status does not work any more in the new software management application of openSUSE 11.0.
http://news.opensuse.org/2008/06/05/sneak-peeks-at-opensuse-110-new-installer-with-stephan-kulow/

I would appreciate an ergonomic user interface for a command like "zypper list-updates -t package". I imagine that the GUI responsiveness can be improved further.
Comment 8 Stefan Hundhammer 2008-06-25 14:15:43 UTC
If you find a way to do this without wrecking the GUI part completely, please send me a patch.


The UI does not have any notion of repository priorities. All it does (and all it can do with the information that is available) is to check if there is a newer version. That is the basis for those actions. That's all information there is.

Those "all in this list" actions are meant as a convenience for users for some mass operations - just some add-on gimmick. It was never intended as a poor man's distro upgrade or anything like that. If that's not good enough for your use case, I fear you will have to use that tool that does what you would like to have. And you even already found it: "zypper list-updates -t package".

We never promised nor is there any requirement spec that demands or implies that the various tools we provide all offer the exact same functionality.

Restoring old resolution.