dnf-0.5.0-1.fc21.noarch dnf's search results are sorted by length (roughly). This is an approximately useless sorting method. Even sorting by package name would be more useful.
Ah, I see now. .i686 is put with .x86_64 lines, but sorted in order of length of the .x86_64 line which makes it look "roughly" sorted.
Hello Ben, results are sorted by relevance. Please provide a specific test case where it is not so.
That may be so, but the sorting looks a lot like string length sorting: # dnf search gnome socket ===================================================================== N/S Matched: socket ===================================================================== jnr-unixsocket.noarch : Unix sockets for Java gwebsockets.noarch : GLib based websockets server php-pear-Net-Socket.noarch : Network Socket Interface python-socketpool.noarch : A simple Python socket pool vanessa_socket.i686 : Simplify TCP/IP socket operations vanessa_socket.x86_64 : Simplify TCP/IP socket operations rudesocket-devel.i686 : Development files for rudesocket rudesocket-devel.x86_64 : Development files for rudesocket php-horde-Horde-Socket-Client.noarch : Horde Socket Client jnr-unixsocket-javadoc.noarch : Javadocs for jnr-unixsocket jetty-websocket-api.noarch : websocket-api module for Jetty python-websocket-client.noarch : WebSocket client for python jetty-websocket-parent.noarch : POM file for jetty-websocket jboss-websocket-1.0-api.noarch : JSR-356: Java WebSocket 1.0 API rudesocket.i686 : Library (C++ API) for creating client sockets rudesocket.x86_64 : Library (C++ API) for creating client sockets jetty-websocket-server.noarch : websocket-server module for Jetty jetty-websocket-client.noarch : websocket-client module for Jetty jetty-websocket-common.noarch : websocket-common module for Jetty perl-IO-Socket-Timeout.noarch : IO::Socket with read/write timeout jetty-websocket-servlet.noarch : websocket-servlet module for Jetty SocketW-devel.i686 : Files for compiling software that uses SocketW SocketW-devel.x86_64 : Files for compiling software that uses SocketW SocketW.i686 : Streaming socket C++ library designed to be easy to use SocketW.x86_64 : Streaming socket C++ library designed to be easy to use perl-Socket-Netlink.x86_64 : Interface to Linux's PF_NETLINK socket family jboss-websocket-1.0-api-javadoc.noarch : Javadocs for jboss-websocket-1.0-api perl-Danga-Socket.noarch : Event loop and event-driven async socket base class python-gevent-websocket.noarch : Websocket handler for the gevent pywsgi server python-gevent-socketio.noarch : SocketIO server based on the Gevent pywsgi server perl-IO-Socket-INET6.noarch : Perl Object interface for AF_INET|AF_INET6 domain sockets socket_wrapper.i686 : A library passing all socket communications trough Unix sockets socket_wrapper.x86_64 : A library passing all socket communications trough Unix sockets nodejs-websocket-driver.noarch : WebSocket protocol handler with pluggable I/O for Node.js perl-Socket6.x86_64 : IPv6 related part of the C socket.h defines and structure manipulators nodejs-faye-websocket.noarch : A standards-compliant WebSocket server and client for Node.js perl-Socket-Netlink-Route.noarch : Interface to Linux's NETLINK_ROUTE netlink socket protocol perl-IO-Socket-IP.noarch : Drop-in replacement for IO::Socket::INET supporting both IPv4 and IPv6 the "gnome" section is similar in that it looks like a big cascade.
Here's another: # dnf search make ====================================================================== N/S Matched: make ====================================================================== cmake-gui.x86_64 : Qt GUI for cmake bmake.x86_64 : The NetBSD make(1) tool cmake.x86_64 : Cross-platform make system cmake-doc.x86_64 : Documentation for cmake remake-doc.noarch : Documentation for remake gnustep-make.x86_64 : GNUstep makefile package pacemaker-libs.x86_64 : Core Pacemaker libraries polymake-doc.x86_64 : Documentation for polymake pacemaker-libs.i686 : Core Pacemaker libraries pacemaker-doc.x86_64 : Documentation for Pacemaker texlive-lmake-doc.noarch : Documentation for lmake texlive-makebox.noarch : Defines a \makebox* command texlive-makeindex-bin.x86_64 : Binaries for makeindex texlive-makebox-doc.noarch : Documentation for makebox polymake-devel.i686 : Development files for polymake polymake-devel.x86_64 : Development files for polymake texlive-makedtx-doc.noarch : Documentation for makedtx makeself.noarch : Make self-extractable archives on Unix texlive-imakeidx-doc.noarch : Documentation for imakeidx texlive-makeplot-doc.noarch : Documentation for makeplot texlive-makeglos-doc.noarch : Documentation for makeglos gnustep-make-doc.noarch : Documentation for gnustep-make texlive-makecmds-doc.noarch : Documentation for makecmds texlive-makecirc-doc.noarch : Documentation for makecirc texlive-makecell-doc.noarch : Documentation for makecell perl-ExtUtils-MakeMaker.noarch : Create a module Makefile drbd-pacemaker.x86_64 : Pacemaker resource agent for DRBD eclipse-cmakeed.noarch : CMake Editor plug-in for Eclipse perl-Makefile-Parser.noarch : Simple parser for Makefiles perl-Makefile-DOM.noarch : Simple DOM parser for Makefiles texlive-makeshape-doc.noarch : Documentation for makeshape texlive-makeindex-doc.noarch : Documentation for makeindex jpanoramamaker-javadoc.noarch : Javadocs for jpanoramamaker pacemaker-libs-devel.x86_64 : Pacemaker development package pacemaker-libs-devel.i686 : Pacemaker development package WindowMaker-devel.i686 : Development files for WindowMaker WindowMaker-devel.x86_64 : Development files for WindowMaker texlive-makebarcode-doc.noarch : Documentation for makebarcode perl-Sort-Maker.noarch : Simple way to make efficient sort subs imake.x86_64 : imake source code configuration and build system cmake-fedora.noarch : CMake helper modules for fedora developers automake.noarch : A GNU tool for automatically creating Makefiles WindowMaker-extra.noarch : Extra icons and themes for WindowMaker pacemaker-cluster-libs.i686 : Cluster Libraries used by Pacemaker pacemaker-cluster-libs.x86_64 : Cluster Libraries used by Pacemaker
I too found this and my observations are provided in comment https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1094301#c4
I analyzed these cases against our relevance algorithm and you are getting intended results: generally, we look at what packages match in their name and summary and propagate to the top those that match most arguments as given by the user. In comment 3 case, there's no package that would match both the args against package's name but there are many that match one of the arguments agaisnt both summary and name. So they are at one of the top paragraphs. Those that match only name or only summary follow in next paragraphs. The concern is whether the ordering within a paragraph of specific matching is not simply by string length. It looks like it and what the implementation does for matches of same weight is to sort them by distance, e.g. put those first where the matching attribute matches the argument by relatively larger substring. Given constant length of the argument this sometimes produces the effect you are perceiving (the length of nonmatching attribute, e.g. name in this case also plays role in the total line length). But in fact it does not matter: reiterating, within the given paragraph all matches are of equal weight. Comment 4 proves this point: 'make' was searched and 'make' the package was returned first. How can DNF do better? Closing this as NOTABUG. Note I am 100% open to major improvements in this area if reasonable ones are proposed as systematic problem descriptions or even properly written implementations. Additionaly, I'd like to kindly ask you to avoid using emotional words like 'useless' or worse in bug descriptions. All of us are doing our best.
Hm, I see what you are talking about in comment 4, 'make' itself actually ends up below 'cmake' etc. (because it only matches on name and not on both name and summary like e.g. cmake).
Fixed upstream by 5091cfe.
dnf-plugins-core-0.0.8-2.fc20, libsolv-0.6.1-1.git6d968f1.fc20, hawkey-0.4.16-1.fc20, dnf-0.5.2-1.fc20 has been submitted as an update for Fedora 20. https://admin.fedoraproject.org/updates/libsolv-0.6.1-1.git6d968f1.fc20,hawkey-0.4.16-1.fc20,dnf-0.5.2-1.fc20,dnf-plugins-core-0.0.8-2.fc20
Package dnf-plugins-core-0.0.8-2.fc20, libsolv-0.6.1-1.git6d968f1.fc20, hawkey-0.4.16-1.fc20, dnf-0.5.2-1.fc20: * should fix your issue, * was pushed to the Fedora 20 testing repository, * should be available at your local mirror within two days. Update it with: # su -c 'yum update --enablerepo=updates-testing dnf-plugins-core-0.0.8-2.fc20 libsolv-0.6.1-1.git6d968f1.fc20 hawkey-0.4.16-1.fc20 dnf-0.5.2-1.fc20' as soon as you are able to. Please go to the following url: https://admin.fedoraproject.org/updates/FEDORA-2014-6789/libsolv-0.6.1-1.git6d968f1.fc20,hawkey-0.4.16-1.fc20,dnf-0.5.2-1.fc20,dnf-plugins-core-0.0.8-2.fc20 then log in and leave karma (feedback).
dnf-plugins-core-0.0.8-2.fc20, libsolv-0.6.1-1.git6d968f1.fc20, hawkey-0.4.16-1.fc20, dnf-0.5.2-1.fc20 has been pushed to the Fedora 20 stable repository. If problems still persist, please make note of it in this bug report.