"Joe Smith" <unknown_kev_cat@hotmail.com> wrote in message [🔎] f7k1se$21e$1@sea.gmane.org">news:[🔎] f7k1se$21e$1@sea.gmane.org...
"Don Armstrong" <don@debian.org> wrote in message [🔎] 20070716111202.GA21569@volo.donarmstrong.com">news:[🔎] 20070716111202.GA21569@volo.donarmstrong.com...So it seems like we should do the following: 1. Make changes to the menu system to use .desktop files in preference to .menu files when they exist 2. Generate .desktop files from .menu files using the menu system when .desktop files don't exist. 3. Continue using the menu system for window managers which don't natively understand .desktop files; drop the Debian menu for those that do. The other issue that was brought up was improving the hierarchical organization of the menus, but how to do that hasn't been made clear in this thread.That is exactly the correct thing to do. It has the advantage of basically converting Debian to the stardard FDO .desktop format. It also effectively adds limited support for the FDO format to the other window managers (the menu system would be converting the .desktop files of any installed package automatically).Of course one of the keys to this transition would be to eventually depreciate the .menu files. If the menu system can read the .desktop files then there would be no reason to keep the .menu format around long term, but it would need to stay temporally as part of the transition.
To formalize this as a proposal: -----BEGIN PROPOSAL-----Given that .desktop is a standardized file format, and is roughly a superset of the current .menu format, the Debian menu system will add support reading .desktop files as source in addition to the .menu files.
When both a .desktop file and a .menu file exists the .desktop file takes precedence.
The Debian menu system will generate .desktop files from .menu files if the .desktop file does not exist. This is intended solely
as a temporary compatibility measure.The .menu format is depreciated. Lintian should add a check warning about packages that include a .menu file but no .desktop file. Maintainers are encouraged to replace the .menu file with a full .desktop file, conformant with the "Desktop Menu Specification" and the "Desktop Entry Specification". However, once a revised Debian menu policy has been adopted, the files should conform with policy in any case where policy contradicts those specifications.
Windows managers that support the "Desktop Menu Specification" should stop including the Debian menu, as all its entries would be available as .desktop files.
A revised menu policy should be drafted. It should indicate when a package requires a .desktop file, and when it would not require a desktop file. It should also specify which types of menu entries should default to NoDisplay=True. If extensions to the .desktop format are desired, such as to implement a roles based system for determining which entries appear in the menu, this would be to document which should specify the extension. Finally the document may amend the "Desktop Menu Specification" hierarchy, if it is determined that a change to that hierarchy would be benifical to the users.
-----END PROPOSAL-----Comments?