Bug#184064: debian-policy: [PROPOSAL] Every window manager should provide an alternative to the x-window-manager.1 manpage

[Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>]

Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org> writes:
> Jérôme Marant wrote:
>> Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org> writes:

>>> editor(1) and pager(1) and www-browser(1) are already provided by at
>>> least some apternatives for those programs. If this is really a
>>> problem, which I don't think it is. Instead I think that slave links
>>> for alternatives is common practice, and I have seen no confused users
>>> because of it.

>> So, would you second my proposal?

> Well, I note that none of editor(1), pager(1), or www-browser(1) are
> mentioned in policy at all. I might second a proposal to document them
> in policy and add x-window-manager(1) too.

Here, many years later, is a proposed patch implementing that, omitting
www-browser because it's not (yet) documented by Policy and adding
x-terminal-emulator.

Objections or seconds?

diff --git a/policy.sgml b/policy.sgml
index 0b3c1a1..029a34c 100644
--- a/policy.sgml
+++ b/policy.sgml
@@ -8273,10 +8273,14 @@ done
 
 	<p>
 	  These two files are managed through the <prgn>dpkg</prgn>
-	  "alternatives" mechanism.  Thus every package providing an
-	  editor or pager must call the
-	  <prgn>update-alternatives</prgn> script to register these
-	  programs.
+	  "alternatives" mechanism.  Every package providing an editor or
+	  pager must call the <prgn>update-alternatives</prgn> script to
+	  register as an alternative for <file>/usr/bin/editor</file>
+	  or <file>/usr/bin/pager</file> as appropriate.  The alternative
+	  should have a slave alternative
+	  for <file>/usr/share/man/man1/editor.1.gz</file>
+	  or <file>/usr/share/man/man1/pager.1.gz</file> pointing to the
+	  corresponding manual page.
 	</p>
 
 	<p>
@@ -8621,7 +8625,9 @@ name ["<var>syshostname</var>"]:
 	    package <tt>x-terminal-emulator</tt>.  They should also
 	    register themselves as an alternative for
 	    <file>/usr/bin/x-terminal-emulator</file>, with a priority of
-	    20.
+	    20.  That alternative should have a slave alternative
+	    for <file>/usr/share/man/man1/x-terminal-emulator.1.gz</file>
+	    pointing to the corresponding manual page.
 	  </p>
 
 	  <p>
@@ -8698,6 +8704,9 @@ name ["<var>syshostname</var>"]:
 		  configuration, add 10 points; otherwise add none.
 	      </item>
 	    </list>
+	    That alternative should have a slave alternative
+	    for <file>/usr/share/man/man1/x-window-manager.1.gz</file>
+	    pointing to the corresponding manual page.
 	  </p>
 	</sect1>

-- 
Russ Allbery (rra@debian.org)               <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>