Add to the FAQ how do you update programs?

I can’t understand how you update applications. There are several applications that are updated in different ways, some quickly after a few days receive updates, others for a long time and after a few months do not receive updates.
Please indicate in the FAQ

  1. how does the update process happen, automatically or manually?
  2. if the applications will no longer receive updates, then please indicate on the page of this application that there will be no more updates for this reason.
    these innovations will help improve the workflow and reduce requests to update programs on the forum.

Look in the Metadata, does it have AutoUpdateMode?

How would we know?

if there is no automatic update, make a special convenient way to inform that a new version has appeared. Suppose if a new version has appeared and you can’t update it. there is something from closed codes that violates your policy. you checked and can’t update then and write that new versions will not appear because there is a code violating our conditions.

It works like this:

  • if it has autoupdate it will do it
  • if it has updatecheck it will know at least that (there was a Wiki page that indexed updated upstream but not autoupdated, but Wiki is obsolete now)
  • if none…then we expect users/developers to at least raise an issue or maybe open a MergeRequest that we would merge and update the app.

The rest of what you said I don’t understand, closed what?

I think “closed-source” is what was meant? Don’t think I’ve seen an app stop getting updated due the developers going closed-source but it probably has happened.

What I have seen are notes on an app’s Main Page when the code-base has dissappeared. In the Description it is sometimes written, “Due to the code-base disappearing the app might never be updated”, etc. It’s not too common but I’ve come across it a couple of times on apps.

(On the side, it’s sad when code does disappear. I’ve thought about the problem because I see the problem getting worse in future. Whether “source-code” is something being backed-up somewhere in the same way generous entities such as https://archive.org/ (Wayback Machine/Internet Archive) backup interesting webpages and other media, I don’t know.)

We have “NoSourceSince” yes, also the source code is available for older versions even if the source repo is gone, so one can rehost and fork/continue.

if possible, sign on the page with the program how is it updated? automatically or manually, or only when asked or there will be no updates since the developer uses non-open source code. This will help to avoid confusion and improve the work with your site. This will reduce questions when there will be a program, and why you do not update it.

Feel free to draft how such a feature works, even implement it, we like MergeRequests. :slight_smile:

More than 2000 (active) apps, only few contributors, a lot of work, again, feel free to scan the metadata, check each app…report your findings.

You keep repeating the same pattern “no updates since the developer uses non-open source code”, what app was affected and you cared about exactly?

We don’t have that many questions, believe it or not, even asking the question is for some rather tiresome, so if you have a punctual, per app update request it is useful, open an issue here: Issues · F-Droid / Data · GitLab

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I do not know how to do it. I have no experience in this. if you can do it, I can’t. If you have few people, ask for help from other people who can help.

was xabber application did not update it before. Now it has been updated and everything is fine. I worry that there are other applications that are not updated. so I want to see the reasons and messages that there is no update.

I did ask you, this is how it works… you see something (app has updates, app is gone, etc) you report it…we try to fix…something

The devs wanted to finish other stuff, F-Droid was not a priority.

We worry to, but we need more people, like you, every bit of info helps :wink:

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