From kde-devel Sat May 01 19:10:59 1999 From: Date: Sat, 01 May 1999 19:10:59 +0000 To: kde-devel Subject: standardizing desktop entry files X-MARC-Message: https://marc.info/?l=kde-devel&m=92558579600135 A few weeks ago, we discussed the possibility of standardizing the desktop entry files so that both KDE and GNOME can use the same file format without any sort of conversion steps in between. Right now, the two formats are largely identical. There are a few minor differences: 1. GNOME desktop entries have the extension .desktop, KDE ones .kdelnk. GNOME also seems to be able to "do the right thing" when the extension is missing based on magic mime stuff, and KDE largely does as well. At least KFM does... the panel does not. This could easily change. I suppose we would make it look for .desktop files first, followed by .kdelnk files for backwards compatibility, finally use mime-magic to look for a desktop file without an extension. 2. KDE entries contain the toplevel group [KDE Desktop Entry]. GNOME entries simplified this to [Desktop Entry]. This seems reasonable and generic. I would motion that we adopt Desktop Entry, and fall back to KDE Desktop Entry if this group isn't present. This would be some work in KConfig of course, but nothing difficult. 3. GNOME uses png files almost exclusively. KDE largely makes use of XPM instead. However, they both have the ability to read the other file format...I'm just not sure KPanel/KFM/Konquerer currently understand .png format icons. I know that GNOME does (support XPM icons), because I worked closely with the RHAD labs on integrating KDE menu support into their panel for Red Hat Linux 6.0. There may be some other issues that I haven't addressed, but I can only see this as a good thing. If people disagree, please make your concerns known, and give specifics of the problems you are finding. Otherwise, let's go forward with this. --- Preston Brown Systems Engineer pbrown@redhat.com Red Hat Software, Inc.