Bug#172436: Is it OK for the new policy wording to be a SHOULD?

[Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org>]

Hi,

        I was looking at the currently proposed wording for this issue,
 and it says: 
--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
 Thus, every program that launches a web browser with an URL should use
 the BROWSER environment variable to determine what browser the user
 wishes to use. <details of the content and handling of the BROWSER env
 variable elided>
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

        This would mean that every program that does not already follow
 this directive would instantly turn buggy (conventionally, a violation
 of a SHOULD directive is a normal bug)

        The same rule has a MAY directive that provides an alternative: 
--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
+	  Instead of implementing the above in every program that runs a
+	  web browser, programs in Debian may be configured to use
+	  <file>/usr/bin/sensible-browser</file>.
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

        Has this been looked at already?  How many packages will become
 instantly buggy? If the number is small, this wording may be acceptable
 as it stands.  If the number of such packages is significant, a
 transition plan might be called for.

        manoj
-- 
"I go on working for the same reason a hen goes on laying eggs." Mencken
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/~srivasta/>  
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