On Thu, Feb 28, 2013 at 03:19:09PM -0500, Dave Reisner wrote: > On Thu, Feb 28, 2013 at 09:09:30PM +0100, oliver wrote: > > Hello, > > > > > > is it possible to see the number of downloads of packages from AUR, > > so that it can be detected, how much interest in a package exists? > > > > Say, there are some users who do not have a AUR-login, > > and just would install the packages that are there... which are possibly > > outdated, but would nevertheless be interested in installing > > newer package, if possible. > > > > If the download number is high enough, even if there > > are not much votes (because some people may only > > install stuff but are not interested in package maintaining and so on), > > then at least interest of a package might be detected this way. > > This is an extremely flawed premise. > > > I'm asking, because I think I can adopt some more packages, > > but would of course only pick those that I find interesting. > > > > They might be interesting (topic), even if I wil not use > > them by myself. > > So, from that standpoint, I would then select by my own > > interest and that of other people. > > For packages that I use by myself, of course my interest is clear, > > and I would pick such packages. > > This is really strange (non-)logic. The best maintainer for a package is > one who is actively interested in the package itself and uses it. How > else could you possibly support it?
Of course, as I said, I would NOT adopt packages that are completely uninteresting for me. Nevertheless, if I think a topic is interesting, and is somehow related to something I would like to see spreaded, adopting it can make sense. For example, if I want to push the usage of R, and there are GUIs for R, that many people would like to use, supporting a GUI for R can mek sense, even I prefer the shell without GUI for myself. But if it contributes to spreading R - which I think is a wonderful program - it would make sense. E.g. I could show the GUI to some friends, who are GUI-addicted, and in this way introduce them to R. So I would not use it, but would like to provide it. But it makes no sense, if nobody asks for it. Do you see what I have in mind? Do you nevertheless think, this is weak motivation? About the metrics: download numbers are not perfect, but better than nothing? Ciao, Oliver