Apper has finally a new version!!
Last release is from February, not much changed in PackageKit since that time this is why you haven’t seen a new release, but this release doesn’t include last PackageKit feature (repair system). The focus I’ve put on this was fixing most of the important bugs we had in Apper, so it should be a rock solid release, it is surely not bug free as there is one bug that I won’t fix (I can’t reproduce nor have an idea how to fix, and the QML port will kill it).
The next release will include repair system, showing which packages are untrusted before installing them, and maybe some initial QML usage. Yes, I’m very excited with QML, it allows for a really cool flow especially for this kind of app, though we don’t have Desktop components yet, we can already do lots of cool stuff with it, but first I want to see Matthias work on Appstream and Software Center with openSUSE, that way we can have application data to browse without worry about the distribution!
What this new version includes:
- Automatic Refresh Cache properly fixed
- Initial Listaller support (optional)
- Supported filter added (depends on the backend)
- KDED plugin runs on a separate thread to avoid
desktop freezes - Fixed updating packages that were on untrusted repos
- Some man pages (thanks to ximion)
- Many other bug and Krazy fixes
Enjoy
Dantti's Blog 
Hi Dantti!
1. Thanks for the continued work on apper, it does a lot of things already really well.
2. Does QML-port mean that the interface will change into the direction of a more image-gfx-based-appstore-like interface, similiar to the approach where muon is going? ( -> http://jontheechidna.wordpress.com/2012/05/ )
3. Actually I like how Muon displays ratings of certain applications, do you think something like this will come to apper too?
1, you are welcome 🙂
2. Yes, though I’m not going to reuse his interface, I’ve been planning this feature for quite long, but still waiting for the right components to be available. Especially because currently PackageKit can’t search for Packages while installing them, so we are still working on a solution for this.
3. The ratings and comments are somehow easy to add, they use a rest API but I hadn’t worked on that on the hope Appstream project would be finished soon, it seems it might take a bit longer, but I still have a bunch of cool stuff planned, I’m just working on other stuff while I don’t have all the pieces…
Best
Using it on ArchLinux, it’s really cool!
[…] https://dantti.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/apper-0-7-2-released/ […]
Apper, rigo, and now kuroo – why are all of the new versions of package managers so crippled and minimalistic? What do you all have against categories? If I want to search for a package it’s a lot easier to look through a list than it is to type name after name to find them one at a time and add them to the queue. This “simpler is better” attitude and the resulting idiotification of apps might just push me back to windows. These new versions are “better” in the same way a pencil and paper is ‘better’ than a calculator.
You want power you have command line. Users don’t need to understand package details to install an application, also Apper DOES have a categories view, if you don’t see it them it’s probably your distro backend that doesn’t support that.
Hello,
why were software categories removed? In KPK I could go to “Science” and then click e.g. “Maths” and got a list of programs related to maths. Now I have to search manually (I haven’t found any other way)… Would it be possible to add it back please?
Hi, well it wasn’t actually removed, kubuntu shiped a sqlite db with KPackageKit, but it got removed from it when it was renamed to Apper from the kubuntu package since it doesn’t have much attention there. Right now we are working on a new solution called AppStream that will have the same data this sqlite db had. Hopefully soon we’ll have that back 🙂 (and an updated UI)
Addition: You say Apper does have categories (actually sub-categories – under categories in main menu), but I have the latest Kubuntu and nothing… Even the screenshot at https://dantti.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/apper-kpackagekit-reworked-part-i/ doesn’t show it…
Is inhibiting shutdown already supported (systemd-inhibit)? I read about problems with shutting down the systemd while an update is running.
It seems there is still a bug with packagekit-systemd-inhibit, since unfortunately my distro doesn’t user systemd I can’t help on fixing that issue but there are already people worried about this.
[…] desenvolvedor brasileiro do KDE, criador, mantenedor e principal desenvolvedor do packagekit, Apper (KPackageKit), libdebconf-kde, colord-kde, Print Manager, Photo Book, entre […]