Re: Bug#4261: Ghostview and virtual package postscript_viewer

[Helmut Geyer <Helmut.Geyer@IWR.Uni-Heidelberg.De>]

> 
> Package: ghostview
> Version: 1.5-8
> 
> Ghostview should install itself into the /etc/mailcap entry so mime
> compatible programs can use it to view postscript documents.
> 
> I suggest making ghostview "Recommends: mime-support" and adding the
> following to the install scripts:
> 
> debian.postinst
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> if [ -x /usr/sbin/install-mime ]
> then
>   install-mime	--install --package=ghostview --content=application/postscript \
> 		--description="Postscript Formatted Output" --nametemplate="%s.ps" \
> 		--test='test "$DISPLAY" != ""' \
> 		--view='/usr/bin/X11/ghostview %s' \
> 		--comment="Ghostview is a fairly good front-end for viewing postscript \
> 			   and should probably be given a reasonably high priority."
> fi
> 
> debian.prerm
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~
> if [ -x /usr/sbin/install-mime ]
> then
>   install-mime --remove --package=ghostview
> fi
> 
> 
No, that isn't what should be done, or at least not the only thing.
I'm on my way to produce a second posctscript-viewer (front-end to gs)
called gv, that is in some ways much better than ghostview, though there
are too many differences in the user interface to drop ghostview instead.

I propose to have a virtual package postscript_viewer installing a 
/etc/alternatives - managed binary /usr/bin/X11/ps_view and handling the stuff 
via update-alternatives. 
mime-support should either put/usr/bin/X11/ps_view into mailcap by default
(which is what I propose), or we install it from ghostview and gv using
install-mime.

	Helmut