Do you have popularity contest enabled?

[some_random_noob]

I do (System > Administration > Software Sources). Having a 1-5 star rating for software can make all the difference when choosing what to download. I have also submitted a hardware report via "system testing".

[TBOL3]

Okay, so technically I do know what it is, but I'm running a version before it was added as an option, so I put that.

[Polygon]

popcon has been around for ever...what version are you running? :o

[FuturePilot]

Yes.

[Kareeser]

t'would be nice if popularity contest was a more prominent option, instead of tucked away at Step 7 of the install dialogue.

[Dex73]

Okay mine is on I just didn't know what it was called.

[frup]

Yes on at least 4/6 computers The other other 2 aren't used much so even if it is on them, it won't make a difference.

[eragon100]

Yes, but one thing is important to remember: It is *not* an indication of how good a program is. It only measures number of people that have the program installed, so with program types everyone uses, like music players, the most installed ones are probably the best. But with specialized programs, such as chemical drawing software, or archeology programs or whatever, this is not a good indication. Because almost nobody uses these programs, they will get a (very) low popularity rating, however, this is not to say that the people who do use the application aren't satisfied with it.

[gnomeuser]

I have it enabled, I find it to be one way of showing which applications I deem superior.

[glotz]

Oh yeah.


t'would be nice if popularity contest was a more prominent option, instead of tucked away at Step 7 of the install dialogue.
I disagree. We all know what default packages Ubuntu install comes with.

[Sealbhach]

Yes. I think it's helpful feedback to developers. But I agree, that with the more obscure applications it's not a good indicator of quality.

I tend to take the star ratings in Add/Remove into account when looking at games or web utilities, but not much else.


.

[some_random_noob]

Excellent. About half of us have it enabled. Better than I thought. Hopefully people here have also used the hardware testing app, along with adding to the validated hardware wiki. This stuff is what keeps Ubuntu rolling.

[a11z]

1) How do I disable popularity-contest?
2) How do I remove popularity-contest pkg without altering other pkg, such as ubuntu-desktop?

Thx.

[cmay]

always. on Debian that is. on ubuntu i sometimes do if i remember to set it up after a fresh install from the live cd.

[sisco311]

1) How do I disable popularity-contest?
2) How do I remove popularity-contest pkg without altering other pkg, such as ubuntu-desktop?

Thx.

ubuntu-desktop is a metapackage (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MetaPackages) you can safely remove it.

[CJ Master]

ubuntu-desktop is a metapackage (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MetaPackages) you can safely remove it.

...but not if you plan to dist-upgrade.

[a11z]

...but not if you plan to dist-upgrade.

Does "Dist-upgrade" mean the custom OSes I make for my own use using Remastersys?

In the past I experienced a loss of desktop icons and some menu items disappearing on my panel when I removed 'ubuntu-desktop' pkg. Even after I re-installed that pkg, my OS was not fully restored.

So, is it all right to remove 'popularity-contest' along with 'ubuntu-desktop' when I make Remastersys versions of Ubuntu?

Again, Thx.

[CJ Master]

Does "Dist-upgrade" mean the custom OSes I make for my own use using Remastersys?

In the past I experienced a loss of desktop icons and some menu items disappearing on my panel when I removed 'ubuntu-desktop' pkg. Even after I re-installed that pkg, my OS was not fully restored.

So, is it all right to remove 'popularity-contest' along with 'ubuntu-desktop' when I make Remastersys versions of Ubuntu?

Again, Thx.

Remastersys actually automatically uninstalls popularity-contest from your iso. I'm not sure why you really want it gone though, why not just disable it?

By the way, if you're making your own remix then I'd recommend starting with a command line install and adding what you want.

[The Real Dave]

Yup, on three Ubuntu computers. Also, any computer I boot a live disk off, I send in a hardware report :D I can't code, and can't donate, so it's my way of giving back to Ubuntu :D

[Paqman]

Yes, but one thing is important to remember: It is *not* an indication of how good a program is. It only measures number of people that have the program installed, so with program types everyone uses, like music players, the most installed ones are probably the best.

Yes and no. Popcon measures more than just how many installs, it also measures how often the package is used. If there's a package in the default install that almost no-one uses then Popcon would spot that.

You can infer package quality by comparing the ratio of installs to how often it is used. A package with a lot of installs that no-one actually uses could reasonably be assumed to be poor quality.

Likewise if there were a package with low installs, but high relative usage, then Popcon would spot that. Such a package is obviously very useful for whatever niche task it's designed for.

It's a pretty rough measure, but it's better than nothing.

[ssam]

for those interested you can browse the data at http://popcon.ubuntu.com/

[itreius]

No, I do not have it enabled.