desktop with everything stored online
Havoc Pennington
Since I'll be gone next week and someone might want to mess with the
desktop-with-data-stored-online stuff, I'll write up some notes on the
basic idea. I think putting together the prototype should be down to
Python scripting now, I just finished the client/server code for storing
settings on the server.
The rough concept is that you can start up a new desktop or a live CD,
provide your Mugshot login info, and get everything set up nicely and
have your data available with no further effort.
There are two elements to this that are kind of separate:
a) encouraging the use of online services and apps, such as Flickr,
del.icio.us, Google Browser Sync, Mugshot file storage,
or whatever; this means there's less stuff to be downloaded/synced
and that data is also available from any browser or OS.
So as you click on "web browser," "email," etc. we'll encourage
setting up online versions of each app.
Another part of this is making sure the desktop works well with
and is nicely integrated with these online apps.
b) keeping some minimal "bootstrap" configuration on Mugshot, such
as which online services and apps you want to use - e.g. should
clicking on the "mail" button open GMail or Hotmail or Evolution?
And also some inherently-desktop-local configuration can be kept
on Mugshot.
The approach I have in mind is that Mugshot has a key-value pairs
repository for each user, not unlike gconf. All apps continue to use
gconf, but Mugshot knows about certain gconf keys that it will also
store on Mugshot and can fill in when you first start up your new
desktop or live CD. Mugshot could also know about config files that
aren't gconf of course.
The dbus API I added is illustrated here:
http://developer.mugshot.org/wiki/Sample_Prefs_API_Usage
So there will be a python program that uses this to store settings on
Mugshot, as the bootstrap to set up your desktop.
(If it isn't clear, to try the dbus API you would have to use the svn
trunk version of Mugshot, not the older version on mugshot.org right now.)
Havoc
Christopher Blizzard
So it's just limited to gconf keys? What about things like bookmarks,
email settings, etc. Are you thinking of stuff that low level or is it
just high level "I like gmail" type things?
--Chris
Havoc Pennington
Christopher Blizzard wrote:
>> Mugshot could also know about config files that
>> aren't gconf of course.
See above ^^^^ ;-)
>
> So it's just limited to gconf keys? What about things like bookmarks,
> email settings, etc. Are you thinking of stuff that low level or is it
> just high level "I like gmail" type things?
Anything, really. My basic idea is a) get people to use stuff that is
naturally online such as flickr, gmail, etc. and b) for remaining
desktop state (including the "I want to use flickr" setting), mop it up
with Mugshot.
Havoc
Christopher Blizzard
That would be super-hot. Might want to start with some real things,
though, just to demo. Get your bookmarks out of firefox, start saving
email settings, etc.
--Chris