Bug#979492: jami: Package description should be improved

[Bruno Kleinert]

Hi Jonas,

Am Donnerstag, dem 07.01.2021 um 12:34 +0100 schrieb Jonas Smedegaard:
> Quoting Bruno Kleinert (2021-01-07 11:46:08)
> > the package description is too "shy" and should include buzzwords and 
> > search terms.
> > 
> > Since other video conference tools like BigBlueButton and Jitsi Meet 
> > are not included in Debian, Jami can partly substitute those. An 
> > improved description can help users to find Jami as a solution for 
> > their needs in the package archive.
> 
> No, goal of package description is not to sell but to inform: Avoid
> buzzwords but include actual facts.

Maybe the paragraph "To some degree Jami provides similar […]" is too
much. However, everything else is facts. My use of the word buzzwords
was probably wrong, I meant search terms that users likely apt search
for to find a substitution of a proprietary (Skype, WhatsApp, …)
program or something that is not yet available in Debian (BBB, Jitsi
Meet).

> 
> My common approach is to pick a few essential sentences from upstream 
> README, remove any buzz and irrelevant parts (like "it is fully free 
> software"), and then compare with and borrow from first paragraph of 
> Wikipedia article if such exist.
> 
> I would propose to add this text, based solely on Wikipedia article 
> (because a quick look at source README and upstream Homepage didn't 
> provide any usable text at all):
> 
> > Jami (formerly GNU Ring, SFLphone) is a SIP-compatible distributed 
> > peer-to-peer softphone and SIP-based instant messenger client, similar 
> > in functionality to the proprietary Skype.

I have the pandemic situation in my mind: People who apt search for a
solution to place video calls.

I ran the following commands in Debian unstable to search for packages
to place video calls:

LC_ALL=C apt-cache search video call
LC_ALL=C apt-cache search video conference

Only the first one lists at least gajim as the only sort-of straight-
forward package in the results. Gajim requires a proper server set up
to allow video calls with compatible clients and only works under X11
at the moment, however. Due to the poor package description, jami is
not among the search results and it wouldn't be with the description
from Wikipedia. It provides a solution for the search terms, however.

Please reconsider your decision, the patch is intended to support our
users.

Cheers,
Bruno
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