[Gpe-list] gpe-irc .desktop file

[D. Marlin]

Neil Williams wrote:
> I wish this list would accept GnuPG signatures - I keep wondering why my
> posts don't show up!
> 
> On Sun, 2008-08-31 at 17:38 -0500, D Marlin wrote:
>> Back in April I mentioned that I found some non-standard entries in
>> some of the GPE application .desktop files, one of which was the
>> Category "GPE" itself.  I submitted a request to freedesktop.org to
>> add GPE as a category, but AFAICT that is not happening.  I did
>> receive a suggestion that we could use X-GPE.  That is being used by
>> some other desktops, and is acceptable for Categories that are not yet
>> part of the spec.
> 
> It isn't just the spec, it is how things like X-GPE would be handled (or
> not handled) by existing menu programs - including those outside GPE
> itself.
> 
> So far, all the Debian versions of GPE packages have had the GPE
> category removed with patches - I'd have to do the same with X-GPE.

Why?  Does the inclusion of an extra (not yet included) category have 
any impact on the existing menu programs?  From what I have seen it is 
simply ignored.

> IMHO, it is better for users to have some kind of consistency and having
> all GPE under a GPE menu isn't user-friendly. Far better to have menu
> items within GPE packages that relate to package functionality so that
> there are Office, Network, Accessories, System, Games and other menu
> items instead of putting all of GPE into one.

Ok, I'll admit that I don't know specifically how multiple categories 
are used by all the various menu systems (implementation specifics). 
 From what I can tell, in Matchbox one of the subcategories will 
supersede the others, but priority in matchbox-desktop and 
matchbox-panel menu are not the same.  for example, Login Setup (and 
Date & Time, and Look & Feel, and many others) is in System Tools on the 
desktop, but in Desktop Preferences in the Panel App Launcher.

Is this a design decision or a bug?

>> Making the following change eliminates those warnings:
>>
>>   -Categories=Application;IRC;GPE;
>>   +Categories=Network;IRCClient;GTK;X-GPE;
> 
> I'd prefer:
> +Categories=Network;IRCClient;

I have no preference, and will implement whatever the GPE maintainers 
prefer (as soon as I know what that is).   :-)

NOTE:  direction requested.


> (I see no need for GTK personally).

I don't really see the need either, but GTK and QT are both included in 
the spec.  I assumed they were there for _some_ purpose, but then 
again...    :-/

On my system I see that Ekiga uses:
   gnome-ekiga.desktop:Categories=GNOME;GTK;Network;Telephony;

while Firefox only uses:
   mozilla-firefox.desktop:Categories=Network;WebBrowser;

>> I do not know how the GPE category is being used, so I don't know if
>> changing it to X-GPE will have any impact on the desktop display for
>> functionality of this or other applications, but the changes seem to
>> work for me.
> 
> I'd be surprised if the GPE or X-GPE is actually being used in any
> application that actually creates the menus and further surprised if it
> was expected to be useful to have a single overcrowded menu item.

As far as I can tell it is not currently being used, but I could see it 
being used as a high level container which would include all the GPE 
apps grouped into the subcategories within a GPE menu, i.e.,

   GPE |
     Office
     Internet
     Sound & Video
     Graphics
     etc.

I have seen KDE and GNOME menus divided that way in the past, but I 
don't know what the current wisdom is on this subject.

> Just a Debian/Emdebian perspective.
> 
> (BTW, Emdebian 1.0 for ARM {based on Debian 5.0 "Lenny"} is coming along
> and will include all the GPE packages. Lenny will also include a
> functional cross-building environment.)

Very cool.  What window manager (and version) is being used for the 
embedded/GPE OS?

> http://lists.debian.org/debian-embedded/2008/08/msg00006.html
> 

d.marlin