Original bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/703106 Debian's and Ubuntu's desktop-file-utils package creates /usr/share/applications/defaults.list as a symlink to /etc/gnome/defaults.list. Unfortunately, the xdg-update-menu program, when called to install a .desktop file with new mime types, overwrites this symlink with a file. It does this by reading the defaults.list, writing to a temporary file, making edits, then copying it back. it doesn't notice if the defaults.list file is a symlink, and overwrites it with a file.
Created attachment 45039 [details] [review] patch against git head Joe Ebel sent a straightforward patch to this, here is a git-formatted version against master.
I'm working on fixing mime handling, and part of that involves making xdg-utils not touch defaults.list at all, but apply modifications to mimeapps.list instead. See also, http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Specifications/mime-actions-spec In particular, "However, note that the next section provides another solution for ISV applications which want to ensure they become the default application after being installed: they can edit [or create] the global mimeapps.list file in /usr/share/applications. This is also a solution for system administrators who wish to set up a default application ordering for their users." That said, the same issue would apply to mimeapps.list too I suppose, so thanks for the patch.
On second thought, I'll go ahead and apply the patch, making such an invasive change this late in the 1.1 dev cycle is not a good idea.
http://cgit.freedesktop.org/xdg/xdg-utils/commit/?id=ddb03d9f6b673ef67c0b0ab04b6d0482b4c0b4d8
Thanks!
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