Allow users to mark outdated packages about home HOT 12 OPEN

@vertigo220 no worries, it will be similar to what we just added at https://github.com/Microsoft/windows-dev-box-setup-scripts/issues/new/choose

from home.

@vertigo220 I'm going to work on terminology here because 95% of packages are on internal repositories, so when we talk about choco and issues, we are specifically talking about the CLI tool.

There should be a way for users to report when a version available through Chocolatey is older than the latest version available online, and how far out of date it is.

Chocolatey here feels like you are stating the Chocolatey Community Package Repository.

Where would you see the ability to mark a package out of date? With choco report bob --out-of-date or on the website by clicking on some link? Or in Chocolatey GUI by clicking on something? Some combination? Imagine that each of these is a separate issue each a feature of individual pieces of the Chocolatey framework. Even the community repository has a repository, but this issue is already created there - https://github.com/chocolatey/community.chocolatey.org/issues/12.

This could be done by a big red notice on the package info page and/or by coloring the package, e.g. green for up-to-date, yellow for out of date by a month or less, indicating it's likely being maintained but it's just lagging a bit, orange for 1-3 months, and red for >3 months.

This is definitely something that would be filed at https://github.com/chocolatey/chocolatey.org/issues. I'll leave this in triaging while we wait to determine if there is any changes for choco.exe itself (this repo) - just out of curiosity, have you read the notes on where to file issues in the template when were creating these issues?

from home.

As you realized in another issue I created, I'm using the GUI, so that might be part of the confusion here ase well. I was basically thinking there could be a feedback mechanism on the package pages in the GUI (search for program, double-click it to open its page, then there would be something there), and the coloring would be in the search result list. Should I post this in the GUI repo?

I did read the notes, though I didn't see anything to indicate I should post this somewhere else. I know it says not to post package issues here, and I'm not sure if that's what you're referring to, but I assumed that meant issues with specific packages, not on how Chocolatey should interface with them as a whole.

from home.

@vertigo220 so when you click "New Issue" there is the following text (emphasis mine)t:

BEFORE YOU SUBMIT AN ISSUE:

Ensure you have read over Submitting Issues -
https://github.com/chocolatey/choco#submitting-issues

DO NOT CREATE ISSUES FOR PACKAGES. Read over Submitting Issues.

DO NOT CREATE AN ISSUE FOR A QUESTION - questions are better served as email or chat.

• email - http://groups.google.com/group/chocolatey
• chat - https://gitter.im/chocolatey/choco

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The submitting issues section contains the right links. No worries, we are going to improve the process here.

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I'd clicked that link and read it, but it took me to the wrong spot of the page before, IIRC at or near the prerequisites section. I even scrolled up since it seemed a bit strange, and read the etiquette section, and must've completely missed the applicable part. I fully admit I could have been more careful, but I had no reason to think I might be in the wrong place. I always read the stuff in the new issue box, so maybe adding something in there would help. Sorry again about the screwup.

from home.

@bcurran3 what do you mean? I was explaining what we are about to add over here to have a decision matrix when creating a new issue. @gep13 created something and showed me last week and we just added it at windows dev box setup scripts. microsoft/windows-dev-box-setup-scripts#34

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It was showing the choices, which is what I meant to link to.

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I see the new page when creating an issue has been added, but wouldn't it be better to simply redirect to creating a new issue on the selected repo instead of creating a new issue on the current one with a warning message saying not to create it there and a link for the correct one?

from home.

All there are valid points, but maybe we are trying to solve the wrong thing.
If there was an easy way to get the latest version from the software developer, maybe this could be automatic.

Maybe the whole package could be automatic.
Both current ways of making automatic packages are very difficult in my opinion, I tried ketarin as well as the powershell way and was not able to get it working in two hours, for a simple project (microsip). I am fairly competent windows and linux admin with 10 hears of experience and I feel this is maybe the main reason why so many packages are out of date.
Could the repository site itself do it? Alert the maintainer only if there is a problem?

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Could the repository site itself do it? Alert the maintainer only if there is a problem?

@rattkin Indeed. And it does that already.

from home.

There is lot of different things being discussed in this issue, but unless I am mistaken, nothing relates directly to Chocolatey CLI. As such, I am going to move this to the home repository, where we can pick up additional conversation, and create additional issues if required.

from home.