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  • From: evraire AT tuwg.com
  • To: sm-discuss AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [SM-Discuss] Support for application menus under different desktop environments
  • Date: 10 Mar 2004 15:33:36 -0000

Hello,
I still find there's a lacking in our distro in one small (yet significant
IMHO) area: desktop environment menus. What I mean by "desktop environment
menus" is the main menu system you find under Gnome, Gnome2, KDE,
Enlightenment, XFCE and other such systems that offer a place where installed
applications show up (ie: the Applications menu under Gnome2, the K under
KDE, etc.)

The problem I see is that installed applications don't always show up in
the menu: some do, and some don't. Sometimes they show up in one menu (KDE
is particularly good), but not others (like Gnome2). As an example of this,
I've got firefox installed and IMO it should've added itself to the Internet
sub-menu of my Applications menu automatically (I'm running a Gnome2
desktop), but I needed to do so myself. On the other hand, I just cast xchat
and it /did/ add itself to the Internet sub-menu!

This is highly inconsistent and takes something away from the user
experience of someone running our distro. Adding this feature would add a
significant degree of polish to running SMGL as a desktop system. I realize
this is more challenging than it sounds: different desktop environments use
different methods for building their menus. What happens if I decide to move
XChat from Internet to Chat? Should my other desktop environments reflect
that change? Should the change be specific to the current user, or be
reflected across the system (or have the option for both)? What happens when
I next recast XChat? Will it reinstall itself in the Internet menu, leaving
me with two links? Some spells install multiple binaries, but only one or a
subset of those should appear in the menu... etc.

I've started a feature request under bugzilla
(http://bugs.sourcemage.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6322) where I'd like to discuss
with all of you how you think we should address this, or even if you think we
should address this at all?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Jonathan Evraire
evraire at tuwg.com

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