FeaturedApps

Criteria:

  • Is available in main or universe
  • Is a GUI app
  • Does not replace a default application
  • Does not replace another featured application
  • Is well designed for the task and robust

Approach for selecting apps:

  1. decide on the number of applications desired
  2. decide on criteria for selecting applications
  3. get a list of suggested apps
  4. canonical-desktop-team (and regular contributors) will discuss each proposed app if it meets criteria
  5. If there is overflow (more apps that meet criteria than slots designated) the canonical-desktop-team will select apps to drop off
  6. Selected apps will then available for review, comments, feedback

Number:

  • It appears that 11 apps fit in one screen of the software-center category list.
  • 2 screens max, bring us to max. 22 featured apps

Personas:

  • A graphic designer (might be amateur)
  • A child
  • ...

Proposed featured applications:

  • arista (media transcoding)
  • cheese (photobooth)
  • gnucash (accounting)
  • homebank (accounting)
  • gramps (genealogy)
  • <insert scientific tools?>

  • wxmaxima (computer algebra system [c.f. Mathematica, Maple])
  • stellarium (planetarium)
  • celestia-gnome (universe simulation)
  • dia (diagramming)
  • gtg (Getting Things GNOME, work tracker)
  • gnome-do (fast keyboard based access)
  • deja-dup (backup)
  • liferea (rss feed reader)
  • parcellite (clipboard manager)
  • gftp (FTP client)
  • filezilla (FTP client)
  • rednotebook (Desktop Journal)
  • amule (P2P client based on eDonkey network)
  • miro (media player which includes RSS and podcast download)
  • wine (Windows compatibility layer)
  • compizconfig-settings-manager (advanced configuration tool for compiz)
  • gtk-recordmydesktop (desktop recorder [screencasts..])
  • wammu (sync and backup for cellphones)
  • memaker (avatar creator)

Programming:

  • monodevelop (software development)
  • geany (IDE)
  • eclipse (IDE)
  • anjuta (IDE)
  • nemiver (graphical debugger)
  • glade (Interface designer)
  • bzr-explorer (gui frontend to bzr)

Editors:

  • Graphics:
    • gimp (bitmap graphics)
    • mypaint (easy painting with lots of brushes)
    • inkscape (vector graphics)
    • blender (3d graphics)
  • Audio:
    • jokosher (multi-track studio [simple])
    • ardour (multi-track studio [advanced])
    • audacity (audio editor)
    • easytag (audio files tag editor)
  • imagination (DVD generator as pitivi does not support it)
  • hugin (panorama sticher)
  • scribus (DTP)

Media Centers:

  • moovida (media center)
  • mythtv (Media center/PVR)

Tools:

  • virtualbox-ose (virtual machine)
  • gaiksaurus (thesaurus)
  • gufw (firewall tool)
  • keepassx (Cross Platform Password Manager/Database)

Games:

  • frozen-bubble (arcade game)
  • glchess (Chess)
  • pychess (Chess)
  • flightgear (Flight Gear, flight simulator)
  • FPS:
    • sauerbraten (FPS)
    • nexuiz (FPS)
    • warsow (fast-moving FPS)
    • openarena (quake3-clone FPS)
  • Strategy:
    • spring-mods-kernelpanic (RTS)
    • freeciv-client-gtk (turn based strategy)
    • glob2 (isometric strategy game)
    • wesnoth (Battle for Wesnoth, fantasy turn based strategy)
    • simutrans (transport simulator)
    • pioneers (settlers of catan clone)
  • Racing:
    • torcs (car racing)
    • supertuxkart
    • armagetronad (Tron lightcycle game, fully playable without 3D support)
    • extremetuxracer (Tux racer)
  • Adventure:
    • uqm (The Ur-Quan masters aka Starcon 2 - ex commercial game)
    • beneath-a-steel-sky (Beneath a Steel Sky, Adventure, ex commercial)
    • flight-of-the-amazon-queen (Flight of the Amazon Queen, Adventure, ex commercial)
    • yofrankie
  • scorched3d (turn based tank game)
  • pingus (lemmings clone)
  • fretsonfire (Guitar hero clone)
  • chromium-bsu (simple shot-'em-up)
  • teeworlds (multiplayer 2d platform shooter)
  • neverball (3D floor-tilting game)
  • tumiki-fighters (simple shoot-'em-up, no need for 3D support)
  • <insert games suitable for children>

Comments:

  • gnucash
    • I would suggest "homebank" instead, it is much, much easier to grasp IMHO. It doesn't require a budget-style balance workflow like accountants are used to. --Jeff
  • gftp
    • I'd suggest FileZilla instead, it looks better and is more modern. -- qense

  • Boxee Beta is a media center, and it is packaged, unlike XMBC. -Wiggums
    • Boxee is not in the Ubuntu archives, thus is not installable from the Software Centre -- RobertAncell

  • Parcellite is might break copy/paste in applications like OpenOffice. Installing it is very dangerous for non-experimented users as they are very unlikely to understand why things are broken. The idea of a "clipboard manager" is, IMHO, too complex. It should be invisible. I strongly recommand to *not* feature it. -- LionelDricot

  • 3D requirements... -- Arand
    • chromium-bsu seems to run extremely sluggish when 3D acceleration is not available (simple noveau vs nvidia test), if we want a simple 2D game this might not be the best choice
    • fretsonfire is virtually unplayable without 3D support
    • stellarium is virtually unusable without 3D support
    • moovida is virtually unusable without 3D support

Rejected choices:

  • epiphany-webkit (light weight web browser?) DUPE of Firefox
  • gnumeric (light weight spreadsheet) DUPE of OO.o
  • abiword (lightweight and collaborative document editing) DUPE of OO.o
  • xchat-gnome (IRC) DUPE of empathy
  • pyroom (editor) NOT GUI
  • gwibber (twitter) Already shipping by default in Lucid.
  • PDF Mod (PDF modification) NOT PACKAGED
  • XBox Media Center NOT PACKAGED
  • gpodder (podcast download tool) DUPE of Rhythmbox

Current choices:

  • cheese
  • homebank
  • stellarium
  • gnome-do
  • deja-dup
  • eclipse
  • gimp
  • inkscape
  • blender
  • audacity
  • gufw
  • frozen-bubble
  • fretsonfire
  • pingus
  • moovida
  • liferea
  • arista
  • gtg
  • freeciv
  • supertuxcart
  • chromium-bsu


CategorySpec

DesktopTeam/Lucid/FeaturedApps (last edited 2010-03-29 22:37:43 by 8afbf0f1)