Hi Thomas.

> I think you didn't get what I said in the first place.
> The runner (the menu, whatever) has to ensure the disambiguation.
> Whether starting form the generic or non generic name doesn't matter at
> all.
Okay, I get it now, thanks for clarifying. But please provide an
example of how you would use it to resolve the System Settings case,
for instance. I can't think of one.

Assume that both applications have "Name=System Settings" - that is if
KDE refuses to change its name and Gnome doesn't back away and revert
to some other name.
What would the .desktop files look like?

Maybe something like this (KDE):

Name=System Settings
GenericName=KDE desktop configuration

and Gnome:

Name=System Settings
GenericName=GNOME desktop configuration

Suppose the user has the menu in the "Name" mode. Then your solution
would, assuming both are present, result in there being "KDE desktop
configuration" and "GNOME desktop configuration" - both (!) in KDE and
GNOME (Name was ambiguous so GenericName was displayed instead). I
hope we agree that is confusing for new users. Alternatively, there
would be "System Settings (KDE desktop configuration)" and "System
Settings (GNOME desktop configuration)", possibly the text in
parentheses being subscribed instead. This is a little less confusing,
but still confusing compared to just "System Settings" and "GNOME
System Settings", where "System Settings", the native tool, is clearly
preferred.

And if the menu is in the "GenericName" mode, you would get "KDE
desktop configuration" and "GNOME desktop configuration", which is,
again, confusing.

Regards,
Ambroz

On Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 10:39 PM, Thomas Lübking
<thomas.luebking@gmail.com> wrote:
> Am Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:27:40 +0200
> schrieb Ambroz Bizjak <ambrop7@gmail.com>:
>
>> Additionally, I make the following points on your proposed solution:
>>
>> My solution can do everything that the solution you are proposing
> No. Can't. The runner/startmenu (call it whatever you want) can
> effectively prevent clashes - what some extra string can only hope to
> achive (based on social engineering)
>
>> Your solution (as far as I get it) assumes a specific interpretation
>> of the Name and GenericName fields.
> No. It assumes that the .desktop files differ in some identifying
> attribute,
>
>> It's just that some DEs (and distributions)
>> use the Name field for the primary name in the menu, while some use
>> the Name field.
> I think you didn't get what I said in the first place.
> The runner (the menu, whatever) has to ensure the disambiguation.
> Whether starting form the generic or non generic name doesn't matter at
> all.
>
> Cheers,
> Thomas
>