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+Title: Why isn't Linux desktops installing the hw support packages automatically?
+Tags: english, 
+Date: 2013-01-09 09:20
+
+<p>One thing that annoys me with Debian and Linux distributions in
+general, is that there is a great package management system with the
+ability to automatically install software packages by downloading them
+from the distribution mirrors, but no way to get it to automatically
+install the packages I need to run the hardware I plug into my
+machine.  When I plug in a LEGO Mindstorms NXT, it could suggest to
+automatically install the python-nxt, nbc and t2n packages I need to
+talk to it.  When I plug in a Yubikey, it could propose the
+yubikey-personalization package.  The information required to do this
+is available, but no-one pulled all the pieces together yet.
+
+<p>Many years ago, I proposed to use the discover subsystem to
+implement this.  The idea is fairly simple:
+
+<ul>
+
+<li>Add a desktop entry pointing to a program in /usr/share/autostart/
+to start it when a user log in.</li>
+
+<li>Set this program up to listen for kernel events emitted when new
+hardware is inserted.</li>
+
+<li>When new hardware is inserted, look up the hardware ID in a
+database mapping to packages, and take note of any non-installed
+packages.</li>
+
+<li>Show a message to the user proposing to install the discovered
+package, and make it easy to install it.</li>
+
+</li>
+
+<p>I am not sure what the best way to implement this is, but my
+initial idea was to use dbus events to discover new hardware, the
+discover database to find packages and packagekit to install
+packages.</p>
+
+<p>Yesterday, I found time to try to implement this idea, and the
+draft package is now checked the Debian Edu subversion repository.  In
+the process, I updated the discover-data package to map the USB ids of
+LEGO Mindstorms and Yubikey devices to the relevant packages in
+Debian, and uploaded a new version 2.2013.01.09 to unstable.  I also
+discovered that the current discover package in Debian no longer found
+any USB devices, because /proc/bus/usb/devices no longer is present,
+and ported it to use libusb as a fall back option.  The fixed package
+version 2.1.2-6 is now in experimental.</p>
+
+<p>With this prototype in place, I can insert my Yubikey, and get this
+desktop notification to show up:</p>
+
+<img src="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2012-01-09-hw-autoinstall.png">
+
+<p>For this prototype to be really useful, some way to install the
+proposed packages need to be implemented too.</p>
+
+<p>If this this seem useful to you, and you want to help make it
+happen, please help me update the discover-data database with mappings
+from hardware to Debian packages.  Check if 'discover-pkginstall -l'
+list the package you would like to have installed when a given
+hardware device is inserted into your computer, and report bugs using
+reportbug if it isn't.  Or, if you know of a better way to provide
+such mapping, please let me know.</p>
+
+<p>This prototype need more work, and there are several questions that
+should be considered before it is ready for production use.  Is dbus
+the correct way to detect new hardware?  At the moment I look for HAL
+dbus events on the system bus.  Are there better events to use?  How
+should the user be notified?  Is the desktop notification mechanism
+the best option?  How should packages be installed?  When should they
+not be installed?</p>
+
+<p>If you want to help getting such feature implemented in Debian,
+please send me an email. :)</p>