Re: adding desktop files to misc packages
"Joe Smith" <unknown_kev_cat@hotmail.com> writes:
> To formalize this as a proposal:
[...]
Surely any proposal for replacing the menu system with desktop files has
to involve generating menu files from desktop files for the benefit of
programs that use the menu system and don't understand desktop files?
The way I expect a transition would go, assuming we decide it's a good
idea, would be:
* We write a clear specification for what goes into a .desktop file from
a Debian perspective, which can mostly be a reference to the
freedesktop.org documentation of the format if that's adequate but
probably involves at least some discussion of the menu hierarchy from a
Debian integration perspective. We also need a policy on what packages
should create desktop files and if some packages should create desktop
files that aren't shown by default or some other similar magic. This
is the *first* step.
* The menu code is modified to generate menu files from desktop files if
a desktop file exists and no menu file exists.
* Only *then* are packages encouraged to start switching from menu files
to desktop files, to avoid unnecessary duplication of information in
the packages.
* We then track progress on adding desktop files with the *long term*
goal (+2 releases, realistically) of dropping the generation of desktop
files from the old menu format.
The first step is vital and hasn't happened yet, and would be useful even
in the absence of a decision to do an overall transition.
--
Russ Allbery (rra@debian.org) <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>
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