[gNewSense-users] CD based app installer - feedback wanted

[Dean Linkous]

Hey all. Would a CD based software installer be useful? needed? wanted? crap? 

As in, you pop in a cd, it autoplays (if your computer is set to do this), your 
browser pops up with a friendly page that lets you browse the software 
available on the CD with descriptions, screenshots, and maybe a mini-review or 
something and to install you just click on the install button? Thoughts?

I am not suggesting anything professional. Just a homegrown effort to provide 
some software on a CD with a dead easy simple installer. Webpage, 
screenshots/description/mini-review maybe and a install button. Maybe a link to 
the homepage for the software and maybe a link to a forum thread to discuss the 
software or rate the software or both....

Just ISOs you can download or order for a couple bucks that provide software 
packages on a cd with a simple front-end. For a couple extra bucks you can 
request a CD with certain packages on it.

Maybe have a office ISO, game ISO, graphics ISO, multimedia ISO or something...

Actually I could have a (install from cd) button and a (install from the net) 
button. 

It would simply be software that is currently in the repo or that I can ensure 
would install cleanly.

It would not provide anything that synaptic does not but it would be a bit 
simpler and no changing sources.list. It would not be a real application. It 
would simply be a page that called scripts that used dpkg/apt to install stuff 
silently and created a desktop icon.

I just figure that some (new possibly clueless) users think that synaptic is 
too confusing and does not provide enough information?

Users are use to popping a cd in and having it pop up and have clicky buttons 
to install stuff.

I actually came up with this a couple/few years ago and dismissed it as stupid 
so never did anything with it. I figured nobody would want to sue this when we 
have synaptic.

Also being discussed here
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=361629
and here
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?t=12314
and on the gnewsense forum
http://wiki.gnewsense.org/ForumMain/CDBasedAppInstaller-Feedback

Thanks for any thoughts, ideas, or comments!
Dean