From debian-devel Mon Jul 16 18:03:17 2007 From: Neil Williams Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:03:17 +0000 To: debian-devel Subject: Re: adding desktop files to misc packages Message-Id: <20070716190317.b98875dc.linux () codehelp ! co ! uk> X-MARC-Message: https://marc.info/?l=debian-devel&m=118460905406870 MIME-Version: 1 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="--Signature=_Mon__16_Jul_2007_19_03_17_+0100_Xh3U4xrbtxVPRqa2" --Signature=_Mon__16_Jul_2007_19_03_17_+0100_Xh3U4xrbtxVPRqa2 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 18:16:49 -0600 Bruce Sass wrote: > > > Why not drop the Debian Menu Policy completely? The only sane > > > argument against .desktop is hierarchy support but then the most > > > pertinent complaint against menu is that the hierarchy is wasteful. > > > > The Freedesktop menu has hierarchy support, but it's much more clever > > than the Debian menu's. > > > > The most important argument against it is more about window manager > > coverage. There are a good number of packages with Debian menu > > support and no Freedesktop menu support. >=20 > Neil, >=20 > If by "drop the Debian Menu Policy completely" you mean adopting=20 > Freedesktop's .desktop file format, menu hierarchy rules, and whatever=20 > tools they have for working with menus---sure. From an enduser's=20 > perspective it doesn't matter what lies beneath the menus we see[1], if=20 > you DD's decide the Freedesktop way is the better one for packaging=20 > menu entries then so be it. I like Don's idea - remove the Debian menu from those window managers etc. that understand .desktop files and make the Debian menu aware of .desktop files for those other systems. > 1. Make changes to the menu system to use .desktop files in preference > to .menu files when they exist >=20 > 2. Generate .desktop files from .menu files using the menu system when > .desktop files don't exist. >=20 > 3. Continue using the menu system for window managers which don't > natively understand .desktop files; drop the Debian menu for those > that do. > If you are suggesting dropping the Debian menu infrastructure as well,=20 > therebye forcing the other window managers to learn how to=20 > read .desktop files or convert them into their native format on their=20 > own time---that sounds like a bad idea.=20 True - that is avoidable so there's no need to go that far. > I would think that would be enough to place the idea of dropping the=20 > menu infrastructure in the non-starter category, but obviously it isn't=20 > because "window manager coverage" is an issue.=20 If the current Debian Menu Policy is rewritten along the lines set out in Don Armstrong's email, that is fine with me. > [2] it has been awhile since I used Gnome but their menus used to be=20 > slower than KDE's, KDE's have gotten slower (and take up more HDD=20 > space, perhaps a consequence of the Freedesktop related stuff added to=20 > the menu subsystem and maybe why there has been a push to swith=20 > to .desktop files)... but the menus I get with UWM are always very fast Depends what else has been happening on the machine - the .desktop based menus load very quickly if there is sufficient cache. The first time I view either menu, I get the same delay on this amd64 box, it appears to be the icons that are the cause of the delay, not the source of the textual data. --=20 Neil Williams =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D http://www.data-freedom.org/ http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/ http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/ --Signature=_Mon__16_Jul_2007_19_03_17_+0100_Xh3U4xrbtxVPRqa2 Content-Type: application/pgp-signature -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFGm7LniAEJSii8s+MRAooZAKDf2YrNm6RH8wn7F/wgalbFFSEH1gCgrR5d eZRwMcZIWCvvwa/LVMFR3K4= =YchM -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --Signature=_Mon__16_Jul_2007_19_03_17_+0100_Xh3U4xrbtxVPRqa2-- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-devel-REQUEST@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org