Bug#999809: Maybe hide im-config from AppStream
Package: src:im-config
Version: 0.49-1
Hello!
Due to the im-config.desktop file, im-config is visible in software
catalogs such as Software (GNOME) and Discover (KDE). I would like to
raise the question whether it should be.
Ideally you should have a metainfo file if you want a piece of software
handled properly by AppStream. Since im-config does not install such a
file, AppStream uses the info in the .desktop file and the control file
for now. But that behavior is deprecated, and it does so while complaining:
https://appstream.debian.org/sid/main/issues/im-config.html
Previously ibus was recognized by AppStream via the
org.freedesktop.IBus.Setup.desktop file. But I noticed weird user
reviews, such as users complaining about the lack of a "launch button"
to start ibus. So I proposed to hide ibus from AppStream, and upstream
approved my proposal without discussion.
https://github.com/ibus/ibus/commit/72ca5c93
I think im-config is similar to ibus in this respect. It gets silently
installed when appropriate and serves in the background. It's not an
"app" for users to install and launch.
My suggestion is that "X-AppStream-Ignore=true" is added to
im-config.desktop. An alternative would be to carefully consider how to
present im-config properly in Software and Discover, and create a
metainfo file accordingly.
I'd better mention that e.g. fcitx5 installs a metainfo file:
https://salsa.debian.org/input-method-team/fcitx5/-/blob/master/data/org.fcitx.Fcitx5.metainfo.xml.in
Don't know how they thought (if they thought...). Maybe they simply see
it as an opportunity to advertise.
I think that the actual IM engines, OTOH, are good fits in the software
catalogs. A user may want to know "how can I input Japanese or Korean",
and it makes sense that software such as Anthy and Hangul can be found
that way. It's the value of showing the frameworks and the configuration
tool I question.
--
Cheers,
Gunnar
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