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Re: sensible-browser and sensible-image-viewer



Erik Steffl wrote:
>Malcolm Parsons wrote:
>> 
>> On Fri, Apr 06, 2001 at 01:22:14PM +0200, Bill Allombert wrote:
>> > Yes, I agree that debian lacks a configuration system for users. Some
>> > tools to configure locale setting and mime support would be great.
>> 
>> I'd also like to see a tool to allow a user to select alternatives, by
>> creating symlinks in ~/bin to the appropriate binaries.
>  perhaps that's what update-alternatives should do when run as non-root
>  user?
>
>  that would of course need the ~/bin to be in path before /usr/bin,
>  /bin etc...

I think it's a good idea. Users ready to use update-alternatives should be able
to set a PATH(in .xsession, else apps launched by wm does not have the good
path).
But how we implement it ?
My proposal :

Users need ~/.alternatives and ~/bin.
and update-alternatives create the double symlink
~/bin/emacs --> ~/.alternatives/emacs -->/usr/bin/emacs20

It mirrors the way system-wide alternatives works, which is a good thing,
IMHO.  This way update-alternatives does not modify ~/bin, (well it may create
permanent symlink like ~/bin/emacs --> ~/.alternatives/emacs)

So we extend FHS separation between /etc and /usr to users home directory

The big problem is that does not work for files outside /usr/**/bin like
man pages and dictionnaries, so it is less useful than it seems at first,
and more bug prone.

Bill.
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