Menu Policy - please read if you maintain a package with a .desktop file in it!

[Nils Philippsen]

On Fri, 2004-05-14 at 04:58, Richard Hally wrote: 
> Seth Nickell wrote:
> 
> <snip>
> > 
> > This is not the same issue. You can still install whatever the hell you
> > want for your users. This is about what we treat as a default, or
> > slightly customized default, install. From the installer you can still
> > select individual packages, or go inside a package set and select one of
> > the packages that is not installed by default but is a member of that
> > set.
> > 
> > That said, the current "everything shows up in everybody's menu" way of
> > doing things is lame. That problem should be addressed head on.
> > 
> > -Seth
> > 
> 
> Once you get past that 20th century-command line mentality, you'll be 
> ok. ;) There are billions of people that use computers that never see 
> the command line: If it's not on a menu it doesn't exist.
> If I install some software it better show up on the menu. Especially if 
> I do an 'everything' install, I what to be able to find everything on a 
> menu somewhere! I guess that attitude comes from having been a GUI 
> designer/builder/programmer for several years.

I second that. In fact, I cannot help to think of the current approach
as a band-aid, to provide a reasonably sane menu structure in the light
of virtually non-existing means to edit it.

I think menu handling should ensure the following:

- Ensure a sane, uncluttered menu structure per default (current policy
would do that)
- Enable people to change the menu easily, whether in place or through a
menu editor or via the file manager needs to be discussed.
- Actually abstract the type of the application from the implementation
where that makes sense. Would make sense for e.g. web browsers to have
one "Web Browser" entry starting either the user's preferred or system
default web browser, wouldn't make sense for e.g. games. Kind of
alternatives for menu entries, but don't beat me yet ;-).

What we need IMO is basically e.g.:

- Mozilla, Galeon, Epiphany, Konqueror, ... having desktop files listing
them as web browsers (probably by GenericName or whatever though
something like AppType would be better in my eyes)
- Something defining a system wide default for each GenericName/AppType 
- Menus referencing the GenericName/AppType whatever per default
- Some means for users to override the system wide GenericName/AppType
- Some means for users to edit their menus
  - Reorganizing structure (hard)
  - Adding/Removing/Changing entries which are either generic
    applications that only call the system or user set default or
    specific apps

Nils
-- 
     Nils Philippsen    /    Red Hat    /    nphilipp at redhat.com
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
 safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."     -- B. Franklin, 1759
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