Re: adding desktop files to misc packages
* Mike Hommey <mh@glandium.org> [070714 11:30]:
> On Sat, Jul 14, 2007 at 10:55:00AM +0200, Bernhard R. Link <brlink@debian.org> wrote:
> > But if the display manager is only worth 2 cents, it's Debian default
> > configuration should get it from the place where all window managers
> > give proper notice of their existance, which is the Debian menu.
> > Also just because many of the new shiny desktop environment systems want
> > to reinvent everything, there are still many window managers which
> > are able to properly change window managers on the fly, to any other
> > window manager. Please do not drop this feature just because your pet
> > toy does not support it (or supports it but you never used it).
>
> The fact is very very very very few users actually use these items. So
> why bother the more than vast majority that doesn't need them ?
Because our priority are our users, and not only those users that some
people think are the important ones?
And how is it bothering other people if there are options? Should we
remove all features just because you and some majority you claim to have
does not use them?
> > This is the primary reason why I hope the Debian menu will stay, because
> > it is centered as user-friendlyness and not about some obscure ideology.
> > Users need programs to do their tasks, no matter if they are terminal or
> > what guikit they use. If you have a different feeling or think you have
> > users fitting better into the ideology, the Debian menu system provides
> > all means to do a simple global change (like not showing terminal apps,
> > or moving everything you do not like to a other place) for a single or
> > all users on your systems, while the default can still be what it most
> > helpfull for people: Have everything that is available and usefull to
> > start without parameters as an easy to find menu item.
>
> Do you really think having the python interpreter in a menu item is at
> all useful ? Take the debian user base, the number of people using
> python as a development tool is already quite low. Now, in these people
> developping python scripts or applications, how many do run the python
> interpreter without it running the script or application ? I bet very
> few. Of these few, how many run the python interpreter outside the IDE
> they must be using ? Even fewer, I'd say. Of these very very few, how
> many would run it frequent enough that they'd need a menu item for it ?
I'd guess that the majority of people needing a menu item are those not
using the application often. Even if not using them for normal work,
it is an easy way to see what is installed and to try some little things.
Why do you insist on everyone not doing things like you is not important
and should not be worth being supported.
> Now do you think it's fair to clutter everyone's menu with something
> that hardly anybody uses ?
Sorry, I do not understand you. All definitions of clutter I could find
include "confusion" or "disorder". Having everything available that is
installed and useable in hierachy is a clear and easy to understand
concept. Hiding stuff by random and/or unpredictable criteria (and
both "person xyz thinks it is not important" or "not enough people use
it" belong to the most random I can think of).
> If a filtering of the items is at all possible, these should be
> filtered-out *by default*, like some programs pretty much useless to
> have in a menu are by default in gnome, such as evince or file roller
> or, guess what, the python interpreter.
I'm extremly against filtering out anything by default. Though I really
do not care what Gnome's default menu-method does. As far as I remember it
never had even the option to show the proper menu...
Bernhard R. Link
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