Followup-For: Bug #172436 Package: debian-policy Version: 3.5.8.0 Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org> writes: > Package: debian-policy > Version: 3.5.8.0 > Severity: normal > > As discussed earlier on this list, and now implemented by lots of stuff > in Debian[2] and with only a few to go[3], I'm proposing that the > following be added to policy around section 12.4: > > Web browsers > ------------ > > Some programs have the ability to launch a web browser to display an URL. > Since there are lots of different web browsers available in the Debian > distribution, the system administrator and each user should have the > possibility to choose a preferred web browser. > > In addition, programs should choose a good default web browser if none > is selected by the user or system administrator. > > Thus, every program that launches a web browser with an URL must use the > BROWSER environment variable to determine what browser the user wishes > to use. > > The value of BROWSER may consist of a colon-separated series of browser > command parts. These should be tried in order until one succeeds. Each command > part may optionally contain the string "%s"; if it does, the URL to be viewed > is substituted there. If a command part does not contain %s, the browser is to > be launched as if the URL had been supplied as its first argument. The string > %% must be substituted as a single % > <footnote> > This browser variable was proposed by Eric Raymond at > http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/BROWSER/ > </footnote> > > If the BROWSER environment variable is not set, the program should use > /usr/bin/x-www-browser if there is an available X Window System DISPLAY, > and /usr/bin/www-browser if not. These two files are managed through the dpkg > alternatives mechanism. Thus every package providing a general-purpose > web browser must call the update-alternatives program to register > the appopriate one of these alternatives. > > If it is very hard to adapt a program to make use of the BROWSER variable, > that program may be configured to use /usr/bin/sensible-www-browser > instead. This is a program provided by the Debian base system that checks > the BROWSER environment variable, and falls back to /usr/bin/x-www-browser > or /usr/bin/www-browser if it is not set. I hereby seconded this proposal. Thanks, Joey, for all your work. Cheers, -- Bill. <ballombe@debian.org> Ad Majorem Debian Gloriam
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