[Portland] Fwd: [Desktop_architects] Querying desktop settings like default browser and proxy configuration

[Dan Kegel]

On Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 9:28 PM, PCMan<pcman.tw at gmail.com> wrote:
> A common configuration system is needed.

But is, alas, beyond the scope of Portland.   I think it would
merit its own freedesktop.org spec, or something.  Is
http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Specifications/config-spec
still alive?

> Wrapper scripts seem to solve the problem partially for now in a dirty way.

That's the tao of xdg-utils: take simple scripts that are being used
in real life to solve desktop integration problems, clean them up,
make them fairly universal, and ship them.

> In the long run, however, this can only cause more problems and make
> things more complicated. How can you deal with desktop environments
> other than Gnome and KDE?

Add 'em to the script.

> It's PORTland, not GNOME/KDEland. How about other desktop
> environments? Problems should be solved in a really cross-desktop way.

How about them?  You find 'em, we'll add 'em to the script.

The xdg-settings prototype is just something we cooked up
for Chrome.  I don't think it's the final word.  I'd love to see
a common configuration backend for everyone, too.  That's
a bigger problem than xdg-utils aka Portland was meant to solve, though.
- Dan