Well, while I'm more in the GA camp here, first let me point out a practical issue that needs resolution:
I went to the Xournal 0.4.2.1 thread (just exploring the new section and how it works), and when I get through to the big download button, the install file is served with type text/html. Opera, naturally, wants to save it as xournal.htm; this is not so good...

Then, second, to jump into the flamewar:
I think fragmentation is bad. I haven't tried downloading, but I think this lets people easily use this as a single host for their releases. If you required the project to be already uploaded somewhere, but would mirror it from there (we've all seen sites go down permanently or temporarily), then it would encourage developers to use garage, or to self-host (as many already do). It would be a bit of a hassle, but I'm sure anyone who couldn't self-host, and wouldn't do garage, could find some sort of temporary hosting to get the file up, so you wouldn't really lock out people, you'd just make correct habits easier than incorrect ones.

And, lastly:
On this, I think the best procedure, assuming you're a single primary developer, not a team, is to:

1. Write some code, get it to a decent state where other devs can reasonably play with it.
2. Get a garage page and put it in SVN.
3. (optional) Post in the Devs forum here about the project, if you're interested in having help.
4. Work on it till it's alpha quality, and release alpha debs in garage.
   • Post debs in the itT Download section.
5. Work till it's beta quality (and release).
   • Get it in maemo.org extras-devel repo
   • Post .install on itT Download
   • Make a maemo.org downloads entry
6. Finally, production releases are posted around as before, but in maemo.org extras repo.

That's my understanding of how it ought to work; but I'm no pro. And yes, it's a lot of work, and I can't really blame anyone for shying away and skipping steps. But that's what you should do, I think...

If everyone discusses this and comes to a consensus, it can be wikified here. I'll be shocked.

That's how I imagine it should work too. itTSS should act as an alternative on listing and helping end-users find apps that are still in beta but will eventually be in the garage as they are improved.

Thanks!

My sugggestion as more of an end-user is that itTSS should only accept .install links. I see ITT as being the most consumer-friendly place in the IT community, and as the tablets move more into the 'consumer' realm, it should, as well.

This is probably nit-picky, and that's fine, but it's been expressed before that .deb files mess things up by removing the functions of the App Manager for providing and now alerting users to updates of their apps.

Clearly I'm not familiar with the work involved in creating an .install for a repo from a .deb, but I think the community in general needs to work on that quite a bit.

Am I out of scope here?

The Garage is great, but it isn't for everyone. It's a bit like a Sourceforge, for project management among multiple developers, and developers should be allowed to use whichever project management mechanism they want, be it the Garage or whatever. If you don't have a project management mechanism, the Garage fits the bill. But, in the end, the Garage is for developers and power-users - it shouldn't be a website for general end-users.

The Maemo Downloads website, however, is targeted explicitly for end-users. When your Garage-hosted (or wherever-hosted) project to a end-user-consumable state, you should be advertising it on Maemo Downloads. The interface may not be great, and it may not be very fast all the time, but it is intended to be the one-stop shop for downloading end-user Maemo software. There is no reason to avoid advertising your end-user-ready Maemo software on Maemo Downloads, unless you hate Maemo.

Discussion forums are great, and perhaps Maemo Downloads could support a better forum mechanism, but I have to agree with GeneralAntilles about the fragmentation - creating yet another Maemo software website is just going to confuse people. Just because "not everyone puts their packages on Maemo Downloads" doesn't mean we should create yet another website - after all, not everyone is going to put their packages on ITT's website, either.

No disrespect intended (I love ITT), but as a developer, ITTSS makes my job more difficult, because if I want to reach the largest audience, I now have to remember to manage my releases on yet another website.

If it's an "alternative" listing, then why isn't it just an aggregator/syndicator, as GeneralAntilles suggested?

I just have a question for everyone if you have a Windows computer do you only go to Windows.com to download software or would you go to other sites to get it like download.com or rapidshare.com or a hundred others. Having downloads on several sites is the way of the world. (BTW if you don't use Windows imagine the same thing with Linux or Mac)

Because if it was just an aggregator/syndicator it would have only what is one maemo.org not the other good software out there.

That's not quite the same thing when it comes to Open Source Software. Most people don't go to download.com to download software. They search the web for it and they find the website of the company that created the software.

Open Source Software, on the other hand, is typically written by single developers (or small groups of loosely-connected developers), not by a company. They typically don't have the money to pay for and support a website to host their software. Instead, they rely on services like the Garage to host their open source software for them.

How is ITTSS going to solve that problem, though? If there is "good software out there" that is not being registered on Maemo Downloads, then why would it be registered on ITTSS? If it's an awareness thing (i.e. ITT is more popular than maemo.org), then developers just need to be more aware of Maemo Downloads. (If you're a Maemo developer, how are you not aware of maemo.org?)

ok but there are more then one website for windows open source software same with linux