Re: .desktop files of GNOME apps and path to these applications
On 2008-07-09 14:46:22 +0200, Vincent Zweije wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 09, 2008 at 01:14:25PM +0200, Vincent Lefevre wrote:
> || The .desktop file distributed with the evince package
> || (/usr/share/applications/evince.desktop) contains:
> ||
> || Exec=evince %U
> ||
> || meaning that the user's $PATH is taken into account. In general,
> || taking $PATH into account is recommended, but IMHO, this should
> || not be the case here, because of the following points (related
> || to each other):
> ||
> || 1. This .desktop file is a file associated with /usr/bin/evince
> || (distributed in the same package...).
>
> NFS-mounted /home could be used on multiple computers, where the same
> (compatible) evince is installed at different locations.
You didn't read my mail. I'm talking about Debian's evince package,
for which evince is installed in /usr/bin. Also, the .desktop file
distributed with this package is not in /home, but in
/usr/share/applications/.
If the .desktop file is there to work also with other evince binaries
(installed elsewhere), then it shouldn't be distributed in the evince
package, but in a more general package for GNOME support. Indeed, if
the evince application is installed somewhere else and the user wants
to run this version, then he doesn't need the evince package.
> || 3. In config files, $PATH is generally used when one doesn't know
> || the location of the program, for flexibility, but this is not
> || the case here (see point 1).
>
> PATH is part of the environment. An eminent use of environment is to
> inform programs of precisely that: their environment, such as where
> other programs are to be found. Use it, that's what it's for.
Again you missed the point: it is useless here since the evince
provided by the evince package is in /usr/bin. If the user has an
evince installed somewhere else, see the above discussion.
> Not using PATH to locate programs would be an exception to this
> rule. You don't want exceptions, because it hampers the
> predictability of the system.
Depending on the environment makes the system less predictable.
--
Vincent Lefèvre <vincent@vinc17.org> - Web: <http://www.vinc17.org/>
100% accessible validated (X)HTML - Blog: <http://www.vinc17.org/blog/>
Work: CR INRIA - computer arithmetic / Arenaire project (LIP, ENS-Lyon)
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