Preware Design

This app is to be a front end to the Preware open-source Mojo repository, the webOS-internals project to supply end users with applications, plugins, and updates thereof all in one user-friendly place.

Why this is Important
This morning (25 July 2009) after my morning OA meeting, at coffee I ran a set of paper prototypes of a gui appstore front end for the webos-internals ipkg feed past a group of women aged 45 to 72 who had not previously used a Pre.

Each of them had the chance to go into launcher, bring up an app, run it, go into the app store, look around, etc before starting the prototyping session.

First, as a group they all hated the palm appstore. They disliked the horizontal scrollers at the top, they disliked the scrolling aspect of the entire page. They wanted much more clear indications that a scroll was available, but they thought that a thinner leaner first page would be much better.

After 30 minutes of the group tearing up 4x6 cards and scribbling new ones, we ended up with the following decisions which I pass along.


 * the first scene should have 5 selections
 * Upgrade your installed apps
 * Patches for existing apps
 * WebOS applications
 * Delete things you have installed
 * Alpha list of everything

each of those opens a new scene. along the bottom of the scene is a fixed button bar with on the left, an INSTALL button, in the center a BACK button and on the right a DELETE button

that button bar is ALWAYS there except on scene 1. They know and understand the back gesture, but they liked the idea of a back button even so, and since there was a space, why not?

the install and delete buttons dim out or come live as appropriate.

They were divided on the subject of keeing a banner for the app store at the top of the screen, some liked the idea of a HOME button. Some did not and wanted the space for the lists and said "banner only on the home page.

Each subsidiary screen brings up a list of apps. that list scrolls in the space ABOVE the button bar. Tapping an ap brings up the long description of the app and enables the install or delete button as is appropriate.

The graphical design should be very VERY clean and not busy. It was a major complaint about the Palm app store that it was too busy.

Templarian's mockup for the PreWare home page is a really good basis to work from, and it would be good if the gui app resembled the submission and management page. It will change depending on comments here.

I thought this would give us a starting place

- Rick

Project Repository
http://gitorious.org/webos-applications/installer

Development help
PreWare is being developed as an open source project. We really want help on the development of this app! The source of the application is available at http://gitorious.org/webos-applications/installer

Anyone can check out a copy. If you would like check in privlidges, simply message Rboatright or Templarian on their talk pages.

You will need to register an ssh key with gitorious. If you've never done that, a walk through is available at http://nathanj.github.com/gitguide/  Substitute gitorious.org for github in the instructions.

Name
The "Pre" in "Preware" does not refer to the Palm Pre, it refers to "before" as far as app testing goes, and is a pun on "Freeware"

Service
The binary service that Preware will talk to is specified in IPKG Service.

Submissions
Submissions will have their icons ripped out for application use.

Licenses
Name              id Apache-2.0         apache2.0 BSD               bsd CDDL              cddl CPL-1.0           cpl1.0 GPL-2             gpl2.0 GPL-3             gpl3.0 LGPL-3            lgpl3.0 MIT               mit MPL-1.1           mpl1.1

Legal Acceptance on Submission
I hereby... fill in this with the legal stuff

Removing Applications
Main thing to include is a way to keep track of applications that depend on certain plugins. We cannot have users uninstalling plugins that are required for an installed app to run.

IPKG Feed
The standard IPKG feed used by everyone is below (double line breaks between all applications listed).

XML Feeds
Remember that this feed can read from other sources so http:// are required.

Application View
 pluginname 1.0.0                    FileIO A long description

Plugin View
plugin 1.0.0                    FileIO A long description

Site
I don't know how much of this we can really change, I think Drupal could be rather strict.

Feeds
Yea this section needs major input.

pDNS = Project Reversed DNS