Linux vendors look to improve user experience with a common Linux app store. Linux供应商愿想以一个统一Linux应用商店提升用户体验。
Apps are the big thing in technology right now. Any company that has an operating system but doesn't have a dedicated app store is doing it wrong. 应用现在于技术是一件大事了。任何一家拥有操作系统的公司如若没有一个专用的应用商店，那真的是大错特错。
Traditionally app stores were limited to mobile devices such as the iPod and Android platform but now it looks likely that Linux vendors will also jump on the app store train to spur greater adoption of desktop Linux. 传统上，应用商店只局限在诸如iPod和Android平台电话等移动设备上。而今看来，Linux提供商也将搭上应用商店这辆快车，来推广自己的桌面Linux。
Historically, installing applications on Linux was viewed as cumbersome, compounded by the fact that many Linux distributions used their own formats for packaging applications. 历史上，在Linux上安装应用被看作是相当复杂的；许多Linux发行使用自己格式的包管理程序的实情使之更加纠结。
Today the ease-of-installation has largely been addressed and releases like Mandriva, Fedora and Ubuntu make installing applications a snap. The second issue, of different packaging formats, has not been addressed, until now. 今日，简易安装问题已被Mandriva, Fedora 和 Ubuntu等发行解决。在它们上面安装应用已是小菜一碟。至于第二个问题，不同包管理格式的问题，至今还没能很好地解决。
Earlier this year major Linux vendors, including the likes of Fedora, RedHat, Ubuntu and OpenSuse, met to discuss the first steps towards creating a common method of discovering and installing Linux applications. 今年早些时候，包括Fedora, RedHat, Ubuntu 和 OpenSuse等发行的代表人，会面讨论协力创造的一个共同的发现与安装Linux应用的方法之路下一步该如何走。
In a blog post, OpenDesktop.org's Frank Karlitschek provided details of two meetings held earlier this year. 在一则博客上，OpenDesktop.org的Frank Karlitschek提供了今年早期开的两场会议的详细信息。
According to Karlitschek the meetings were a chance for developers to discuss the viability of working on developing a common installation API for Linux distributions. One meeting resulted in agreement between vendors to work on a common framework, and the second brought together developers to "build a proof of concept implementation of an Application Store for openSUSE and KDE." 据Karlitschek描述，这系列会议提供了开发者共同讨论协力开发一个Linux发行统一安装API之可行性的机会。其中前一场会议就供应商协力构出一个统一框架达成了一致，后一场会议聚集来开发者“共同建立一个应用于openSUSE和KDE的应用商店的概念实现原型”。
It's still early days for the project, now known as AppStream, but it has been broadly welcomed by Linux users and developers. 现在仍然是名为AppStream的该项目的早期；但它已经受到了来自Linux用户和开发者的广泛欢迎。
According the AppStream wiki, Ubuntu's Application Centre has been identified as the starting point. This standard interface will be reworked to be compatible with most Linux distributions. Once that is done the standardised interface will make it easier for Linux users, irrespective of the version of Linux they are running, to find and install applications. 根据AppStream维基上的描述，Ubuntu应用中心已被定为这一项目的起点。其标准界面将被修改，以与大多数Linux发行相兼容。一旦这一工作完成，标准化的界面会让Linux用户更加简单地找到和安装应用，不管他们要的是哪个版本的Linux。
The app store will also include options for users to rate and review applications they recommend. Over time this could grow into a powerful recommendation tool for all Linux users. 该应用商店还会包含允许用户对所选应用进行评级和评论的选项。久之这可能成长为Linux用户一个强大的应用推荐工具。
For now the vision is to create a unified interface for finding Linux applications. This doesn't mean that applications will use the same packaging format but simply that consolidated lists of applications will be available. 目前的愿景，是创建一个统一的发现Linux应用的界面。这并不意味着所有应用都会使用统一包管理格式，只是说它们将会被统一列在应用列表中。
While most Linux users are generally pleased with these first steps towards a unified application store, not everyone is happy. Debian Project Leader Stefano Zacchiroli is among those that feel a common interface would detract from the variety offered by Linux. He has been quoted as saying that "losing those differences will not necessarily be good for Free Software, so I think that a single 'App Store' might still be a red herring." 尽管大多数Linux用户对走向统一应用商店的第一步总体满意，但并不是每个人都很高兴。Debian项目组长Stefano Zacchiroli是认为一个统一界面会阻碍Linux多样性发展的人之一。据说他认为：“失去多样性对Linux并不意味着好事情。我觉得简单的‘应用商店’是没有任何意义的。”
Work on the common installer is progressing well, says Karlitschek. On his blog he said that the developers already had a "basic App Store client together with a server running. All the basic features are in place and it just needs a bit more polishing." 开发统一安装API的工作正在进行之中，Karlitschek告诉我们。他在博客上说，开发者已经 “有了一个服务环境和一个基本的客户端；所有基本特性都已到位，只需要一点点的润饰就好了。”
The first big milestone for AppStream is to have a working product by November 2011, which could be integrated into end-of-year releases. AppStream第一个大的里程碑定于2011年11月，一个工作级产品的诞生；它的完善大概要等到年底。
英文原文：http://mybroadband.co.za/news/software/18243-Open-source-app-store.html |
