Re: [Plash] Plash Package System's 'Pet-id'

[Mark Seaborn]

Toby Murray <address@hidden> wrote:

> I've got a quick question and request regarding the 'Pet-id' part of the
> Plash package tools. It appears as if the 'Pet-id' is used only to
> ensure uniqueness of generated .desktop files. Given this, putting the
> burden on the user to have to choose a (unique) Pet-id seems
> unnecessary. Instead, why not remove this component from the package
> file format and instead have plash-pkg-install choose a unique Pet-id
> when it comes time to write out the .desktop file -- i.e. so that the
> name of the new .desktop file doesn't clash with any pre-existing
> files ?

Yes, that would work.  I think it requires that there is a
clearly-defined instantiation time for the application/package.
Otherwise, if you re-run the install, you could end up with multiple
differently-named .desktop files for the same installation.
Originally there wasn't a clearly-defined instantiation time, but now
it could be when plash-pkg-install is used with the "-c" option.

One question is, when do .desktop files get removed?  I think the
installer would need to keep track of all the applications it has
installed.


"James W. Ascroft-Leigh" <address@hidden> wrote:

> There is a good reason why the Pet-id needs to be explicitly supplied by
> the user. Pet names are a computer security mechanism that is documented
> at [1].  Essentially, asking the user to supply the name ensures that
> the user knows that the icon they are clicking is for the programme they
> just gave the pet name to.  If I have just installed a programme and
> called it "browse-the-web" then I know that the "browse-the-web" button
> that gets created in my applications menu is the correct command.  If I
> have named all of the commands in my application menu myself then I know
> that some nasty programme has not installed itself as "browse_the_web"
> to try and confuse me.

The names of .desktop files are not normally displayed to the user.
Even if you view a directory containing .desktop files with Nautilus,
it opens the .desktop files and displays the "Name" field instead of
the filename.

Cheers,
Mark