Re: Debian packages and freedesktop.org (Gnome, KDE, etc) menu entries

[Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org>]

On Fri, 5 Dec 2003 11:09:56 -0600, Chad Walstrom <chewie@wookimus.net> said: 

> On Fri, Dec 05, 2003 at 04:08:41AM -0600, Manoj Srivastava wrote:
>> > ... It only stands to reason that if both the KDE and Gnome
>> > desktop camps wish to formalize on the format that we should
>> > adopt it as well, if only as an extension of our menu system.  We
>> > would have to generate .desktop files anyway, when Gnome and KDE
>> > move form their own native menu formats.
>>
>> You talk as if the whole universe of window managers is merely
>> gnome and kde.

> I understand how you might get that, but you have to admit that they
> are the most visible of the desktop environments.  I didn't mention
> window managers specifically because I don't see the need to make
> the distinction in this case.  The .desktop files has the same goal
> and focus as a .menu file -- providing a convenient interface to
> finding and launching applications, so let's keep that the focus of
> the discussion.

	Part of the focus of this discussion is about the obstacles we
 have facing a transition to .desktop entries. And this is one of them
 -- until there exists a mechanism to convert .desktop entries into
 things that the back-end WM's can grok, we are stymied (since we have
 a system that works, however imperfectly, and dropping support for
 these window mangers would be a regression).

	The other part is, of course, teaching developers how to write
 the .desktop menu item, and I for one, have never seen one.

	manoj
-- 
I hope the ``Eurythmics'' practice birth control ...
Manoj Srivastava   <srivasta@debian.org>  <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
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