Bug#921705: gnome: Please do not override debian-xterm.desktop file
Ben Wong
bugs.debian.org at wongs.net
Fri Feb 8 08:24:58 GMT 2019
Package: gnome
Version: 1:3.22+3
Severity: normal
Dear Maintainer,
When using the Gnome desktop, I cannot find the xterm icon by clicking
on Activities or by hitting the Super key and typing "xterm". I know
that I can run xterm by using Alt-F2, but that is not what I am
looking for.
Whenever I install Debian and use its default desktop, Gnome, it
always appears like xterm is missing. If I hit the Super key and type
in "term" I get these responses:
* Multilingual Terminal
* Thai X Terminal
* Terminal [Presumably Gnome-Terminal]
If I type in "xterm", Gnome just says "Searching..." until I get tired
and cancel it.
However, xterm is installed and it even has a proper desktop entry in
/usr/share/applications/debian-xterm.desktop. I wasted way too much
time investigating why this didn't work, since it clearly should.
It turns out that some part of Gnome is creating a *second* desktop
file which disables the first one by setting NoDisplay = True. This is
extremely frustrating and unnecessary. The file is
/usr/share/gnome/applications/debian-xterm.desktop
I would like to tell you which part of Gnome is the culprit, but
`dpkg -S` on the file says it doesn't belong to any packages.
I can understand that certain distributions derived from Debian —
those which believe minimalism equates to simplicity — may wish to
hide "redundant" functionality like `xterm`. However, it doesn't make
sense to hide xterm from Debian users. And if it did, it certainly
should not be implemented in such a hard to discover way.
I request that Debian's Gnome stop overriding debian-xterm.desktop,
please.
Thank you.
P.S. Any distributions derived from Debian would of course be free to
create their own package which overrides debian-xterm.desktop.
I suggest those distributions, instead of creating a second file,
create a package that runs
dpkg-divert --divert /usr/share/applications/debian-xterm.desktop.disabled \
--rename /usr/share/applications/debian-xterm.desktop
That way, they will have stopped xterm from cluttering their menus,
but in a way that might be more easily discoverable by users trying to
re-enable it.
-- System Information:
Debian Release: 9.6
APT prefers stable-updates
APT policy: (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'stable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Kernel: Linux 4.9.0-8-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
Versions of packages gnome depends on:
ii avahi-daemon 0.6.32-2
ii cheese 3.22.1-1+b1
ii cups-pk-helper 0.2.6-1+b1
ii desktop-base 9.0.2+deb9u1
ii evolution 3.22.6-1+deb9u1
ii evolution-plugins 3.22.6-1+deb9u1
ii file-roller 3.22.3-1
ii gedit-plugins 3.22.0-1
ii gimp 2.8.18-1+deb9u1
ii gnome-calendar 3.22.4-2
ii gnome-clocks 3.22.1-1
ii gnome-color-manager 3.22.2-1
ii gnome-core 1:3.22+3
ii gnome-dictionary 3.20.0-3+b1
ii gnome-documents 3.22.1-1
ii gnome-getting-started-docs 3.22.0-1
ii gnome-maps 3.22.2-1
ii gnome-music 3.22.2-1
ii gnome-orca 3.22.2-3
ii gnome-screenshot 3.22.0-1+b1
ii gnome-sound-recorder 3.21.92-2
ii gnome-tweak-tool 3.22.0-1
ii gnome-weather 3.20.2-1
ii gstreamer1.0-libav 1.10.4-1
ii gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly 1.10.4-1
ii inkscape 0.92.1-1
ii libgsf-bin 1.14.41-1
ii libgtk2-perl 2:1.2499-1
ii libproxy1-plugin-networkmanager 0.4.14-2
ii libreoffice-calc 1:5.2.7-1+deb9u4
ii libreoffice-evolution 1:5.2.7-1+deb9u4
ii libreoffice-gnome 1:5.2.7-1+deb9u4
ii libreoffice-impress 1:5.2.7-1+deb9u4
ii libreoffice-writer 1:5.2.7-1+deb9u4
ii nautilus-sendto 3.8.4-2+b1
ii network-manager-gnome 1.4.4-1+deb9u1
ii rhythmbox 3.4.1-2+b1
ii rhythmbox-plugin-cdrecorder 3.4.1-2+b1
ii rhythmbox-plugins 3.4.1-2+b1
ii rygel-playbin 0.32.1-3
ii rygel-tracker 0.32.1-3
ii seahorse 3.20.0-3.1
ii shotwell 0.25.4+really0.24.5-0.1
ii simple-scan 3.23.2-1
ii totem-plugins 3.22.1-1
ii vinagre 3.22.0-1+b1
ii xdg-user-dirs-gtk 0.10-1+b1
Versions of packages gnome recommends:
ii brasero 3.12.1-4
ii gnome-games 1:3.22+3
ii polari 3.22.2-1
ii transmission-gtk 2.92-2+deb9u1
Versions of packages gnome suggests:
pn alacarte <none>
pn empathy <none>
pn firefox-esr-l10n-all | firefox-l10n-all <none>
pn goobox | sound-juicer <none>
pn xul-ext-gnome-keyring <none>
pn xul-ext-ublock-origin <none>
Versions of packages gnome-core depends on:
ii adwaita-icon-theme 3.22.0-1+deb9u1
ii at-spi2-core 2.22.0-6+deb9u1
ii baobab 3.22.1-1
ii caribou 0.4.21-1+b1
ii chrome-gnome-shell 8-4
ii dconf-cli 0.26.0-2+b1
ii dconf-gsettings-backend 0.26.0-2+b1
ii eog 3.20.5-1+b1
ii evince 3.22.1-3+deb9u1
ii evolution-data-server 3.22.7-1
ii firefox-esr 60.4.0esr-1~deb9u1
ii fonts-cantarell 0.0.25-2
ii gdm3 3.22.3-3+deb9u2
ii gedit 3.22.0-2
ii gkbd-capplet 3.22.0.1-1+b1
ii glib-networking 2.50.0-1+b1
ii gnome-backgrounds 3.22.1-1
ii gnome-bluetooth 3.20.1-1
ii gnome-calculator 3.22.3-1
ii gnome-characters 3.22.0-1
ii gnome-contacts 3.22.1-1+b2
ii gnome-control-center 1:3.22.2-3
ii gnome-disk-utility 3.22.1-1
ii gnome-font-viewer 3.22.0-1+b1
ii gnome-keyring 3.20.0-3
ii gnome-logs 3.22.1-2
ii gnome-menus 3.13.3-9
ii gnome-online-accounts 3.22.5-1
ii gnome-online-miners 3.22.0-1
ii gnome-session 3.22.3-1
ii gnome-settings-daemon 3.22.2-2+deb9u2
ii gnome-shell 3.22.3-3
ii gnome-shell-extensions 3.22.2-1
ii gnome-software 3.22.5-1
ii gnome-sushi 3.21.91-2
ii gnome-system-monitor 3.22.2-1
ii gnome-terminal 3.22.2-1
ii gnome-themes-standard 3.22.2-2
ii gnome-user-guide 3.22.0-1
ii gnome-user-share 3.18.3-1+b1
ii gsettings-desktop-schemas 3.22.0-1
ii gstreamer1.0-plugins-base 1.10.4-1
ii gstreamer1.0-plugins-good 1.10.4-1
ii gstreamer1.0-pulseaudio 1.10.4-1
ii gvfs-backends 1.30.4-1
ii gvfs-bin 1.30.4-1
ii gvfs-fuse 1.30.4-1
ii libatk-adaptor 2.22.0-2
ii libcanberra-pulse 0.30-3
ii libcaribou-gtk-module 0.4.21-1+b1
ii libcaribou-gtk3-module 0.4.21-1+b1
ii libpam-gnome-keyring 3.20.0-3
ii libproxy1-plugin-gsettings 0.4.14-2
ii nautilus 3.22.3-1+deb9u1
ii pulseaudio 10.0-1+deb9u1
ii sound-theme-freedesktop 0.8-1
ii system-config-printer-common 1.5.7-3
ii system-config-printer-udev 1.5.7-3+b1
ii totem 3.22.1-1
ii tracker-gui 1.10.5-1
ii vino 3.22.0-1
ii yelp 3.22.0-1
ii zenity 3.22.0-1+b1
Versions of packages gnome-core recommends:
ii anacron 2.3-24
ii libproxy1-plugin-networkmanager 0.4.14-2
ii network-manager-gnome 1.4.4-1+deb9u1
gnome-core suggests no packages.
-- no debconf information
--1549612708-eximdsn-1804289383--
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