Re: [DISCUSSION, default settings] Using mailcap as default handler for opening file links

[Ihor Radchenko]

Max Nikulin <manikulin@gmail.com> writes:

> On 04/06/2022 20:42, Ihor Radchenko wrote:
>> 
>> It appears that using mailcap is giving us more trouble than benefits.
>> I am not sure about the situation on Windows and Mac though.
>> 
>> Should we change the default file handlers to Emacs globally (unless
>> user customizes otherwise)? Should we continue efforts to work around
>> mailcap issues? Maybe there is yet another alternative generic way to
>> open files?
>
> ...
> I believe, there are enough issues with mailcap implementation in Emacs, 
> but do we have some alternative? There is no support of queries to 
> mimeapps.list files in Emacs (XDG). Like Chrome it is possible to call 
> xdg-open for any type that can not be handled internally. Maybe it 
> possible to leave it in Org as is or with the patch to call "file" 
> utility (after some fixes).

I have been digging more on this issue recently, and I have found that
Carsten once attempted to tweak this default to use xdg-mime:

https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/org-mode.git/commit/?id=15ae89b39

Use `xdg-open' to open files where available
* lisp/org.el (org-file-apps-defaults-gnu): Use `xdg-open' to open files
  where available.

 (defconst org-file-apps-defaults-gnu
-  '((remote . emacs)
-    (system . mailcap)
-    (t . mailcap))
+  (append
+   '((remote . emacs))
+   (if (executable-find "xdg-open")
+       '((system . "xdg-open %s")
+        (t . "xdg-open %s"))
+     '((system . mailcap)
+       (t . mailcap))))

However, that commit had been reverted because xdg-open did not work for
some users, "failing silently":
https://list.orgmode.org/CAN_Dec8n=yNTto6Uh0dN50fG_HbqHFQtmYOCchH7wsyJdm3_Gg@mail.gmail.com/

I believe that xdg-open issue has been fixed by you in
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/org-mode.git/commit/?id=5db61eb0f
org.el: Avoid xdg-open silent failure

So, it may be safe to re-apply that Carsten's commit now.

WDYT?

-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
Org mode contributor,
Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
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