Bug#282281: kde: KDE applications take over Gnome file types

[Tom]

I think there are several issues we are discussing here, but let's focus
on the most important one:

>>(2) A mapping of MIME types to applications should never change for a
>>user without explicit user interaction and consent (the only exception
>>is if the application is missing or crashes, in which case the user
>>needs to make an explicit new selection).
>
> That's the current situation.

That is not the current situation.  If it were, I would never have filed
the bug report.  The current situation is that when I install KDE on my
Debian system, my MP3 player changes to noatun, and when I uninstall it,
it changes to Rhythmbox.  You'll probably say "well, that's because
[something or other] and you can just fix it by right-clicking and
selecting the application you want once and for all", but that's not the
point.  The point is that it is counterintuitive for the kind of
application that gets run when I click on a file to change when I didn't 
explicitly ask for it to change.  It's even worse when it changes to an 
application based on a different toolkit and desktop environment.  It's 
that sort of behavior that gives people doubts whether Linux is ready 
for the desktop.

A wider discussion is whether Gnome and KDE applications should be
presented on equal footing in the UI at all right now.  You seem to
think that KDE applications work sufficiently well under Gnome that any
Debian user can just use them interchangeably with no problems.  I
disagree with that view: I think Gnome and KDE apps still differ so
significantly in their appearance and behavior that they cannot be used
interchangeably without risking seriously confusing many non-expert
users.  Therefore, until integration between KDE and Gnome has advanced
further in the actual look and feel of applications, I think it is is
premature for distributions to put KDE applications in Gnome menus or
pick them up as default choices for Gnome users.

Thomas.