Default terminal in GNOME 3

[Christoph Wickert]

Am Freitag, den 24.06.2011, 13:41 +0100 schrieb Bastien Nocera: 
> On Fri, 2011-06-24 at 14:10 +0200, Christoph Wickert wrote:
> > Am Freitag, den 24.06.2011, 09:51 +0100 schrieb Bastien Nocera: 
> > > On Thu, 2011-06-23 at 23:10 +0200, Christoph Wickert wrote:
> > > > I wondered how to set the default terminal in GNOME 3. The internet
> > > > revealed
> > > > 
> > > > gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec <terminal>
> > > > gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec-arg "'-e'"
> > > > 
> > > > This raises 2 questions: 
> > > >      1. Will it be possible to set the default terminal again in GNOME
> > > >         3.2? 
> > > 
> > > It's possible, but I really wouldn't want to see it in the UI. Feel free
> > > to ask gnome-tweak-tool to add it.
> > 
> > Why not? I consider this not a tweak but a very basic task. I mean, why
> > not force people to use evolution, epiphany and totem then? 
> 
> Because those are reasonable choices for an end-user to make, something
> they can actually experience themselves. If you can grasp the
> differences between the terminal emulators available you can run a
> couple of commands in your "not preferred" terminal emulator.

Given that you know the right commands. You first need to search the
internet because there is zero documentation about this on the installed
system or the gnome.org website. Then you need to look up the options
from the terminal and the third step is to actually "run a couple of
commands" on the terminal.

Why so hard? What is so bad about another dropdown? Just that you don't
like it? To me it looks like making simple tasks very hard just to then
claim "This is something only hackers do."

> > > >      2. Where is 'exec-arg' arg coming from?
> > > 
> > > http://git.gnome.org/browse/gsettings-desktop-schemas/tree/schemas/org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.gschema.xml.in.in#n42
> > 
> > Well, I know there is a preset for gnome-terminal but what about other
> > terminals?
> 
> Because we're not designing a desktop for people who like to choose
> their own terminal emulators.

YMMD! I'm sorry, I had to blog you at
http://www.christoph-wickert.de/blog/2011/06/25/gnome-developer-qoute-of-the-day/

There are people who are working in (their preferred) terminals all day
but don't have a clue about gsetings of dconf. Still they use GNOME
because they think it's a nice desktop. You think it is wise to exclude
them from your target audience by definition?

> > > >  In the past we had the xml
> > > >         files in /usr/share/gnome-control-center/default-apps/ which
> > > >         contained an 'exec-flag'. How can I as a maintainer of several
> > > >         terminal applications let people know the proper
> > > >         exec-flag/exec-arg?
> > > 
> > > Is that XML file not current anymore? I don't really understand the
> > > question.
> > 
> > Right, there are no XML files any longer. Xfce's Terminal package still
> > has one (because it was built a while ago) but the value is not picked
> > up. gnome-terminal no longer provides an XML file. I looked for a
> > X-GNOME-* key in gnome-terminal.desktop, but no luck either.
> > 
> > It seems like exec-flag/exec-arg only live in the schema you linked and
> > it is no longer possible for a developer/maintainer to deliver a working
> > configuration for other terminals. Is that correct?
> 
> Huh? You change both keys, as mentioned above, and voila. 

Again, this requires one know them...

But this was not the question. I asked what the developer or package
maintainer can do and I even made a proposal [1], but your response is
only about what users do.

> Or you ship the XML file in whatever ends up configuring the terminal.

So what configures the terminal? What XML file should I actually ship? I
cannot replace org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.gschema.xml
AFAICS this is only stored once in gsettings and there is no way to ship
alternative configurations for other terminals.

I hope you can understand that for me as (co-)maintainer of 6 different
terminals in Fedora this is an important question and I would like to
hear a better reasoning than "I don't want to see this in control
center".

Regards,
Christoph

[1] https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=653363