Binary package hint: software-center
Package maintainers often create metapackages to make installation of groups of related packages easier for end-users. This is often the case when an application is split up into several smaller packages to provide more granularity, but a sensible default is desirable.
The software center currently uses the presence of .desktop files (via app-install-data?) to decide which packages to show to users. This can in some circumstances be insufficient. Metapackages should also be shown.
The example I was just made aware of is smuxi. The desktop file and binary are contained within a package (smuxi-frontend-gnome), which is offered up by software-center to users. Other functionality is provided by separate packages, however. While some of these are recommends of -gnome, not all are. Furthermore, the package provides a smuxi metapackage which is supposed to be the most common way of obtaining the packages as it provides the most complete user experience.
software-center should detect and display metapackages in addition to the current .desktop file method. A metapackage can be detected by (a combination of) two heuristics: the word `metapackage' or `meta package' in the description, and the package only having files in /usr/share/doc. This is the approach taken by other tools in use, such as Lintian.
Thanks,
Iain
If we wish to support metapackages, we should also support removing all the packages that this metapackage depends on and possibly recommends, in addition to having a .desktop file for that metapackage.
@mpt: suggestions? Do you think metapackages should be supported?