Ubuntu
sensible-utils package

Manpage makes erroneous claim about BROWSER documentation

Bug #977526 reported by Smylers
14
This bug affects 2 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
sensible-utils (Debian)
Fix Released
Unknown
sensible-utils (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

sensible-editor(1) (and other programs in sensible-utils) in the ‘SEE ALSO’ section of the manpagesays:

  Documentation of the EDITOR, VISUAL, PAGER, and BROWSER variables in environ(7)

But environ(7) doesn't actually make any mention at all of BROWSER, so looking there is of little help in determining how to set the preferred browser, so that mention should be removed.

What would be useful is to document that sensible-browser by default tries gnome-www-browser, x-www-browser, or www-browser (depending on whether it's running under Gnome, X, or neither), and so the browser choice can be set with update-alternatives(8).

Thanks.

See original description
Tags: manpage patch

Related branches

lp:~kroq-gar78/ubuntu/precise/sensible-utils/fix-977526
Ubuntu branches: Pending requested
Diff: 32 lines (+14/-0)
2 files modified
debian/changelog (+6/-0)
sensible-editor.1 (+8/-0)
Aditya V (kroq-gar78)
description: updated
description: updated
tags: added: manpage
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in sensible-utils (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Aditya V (kroq-gar78)
Changed in sensible-utils (Ubuntu):
assignee: nobody → kroq-gar78 (kroq-gar78)
status: Confirmed → In Progress
Revision history for this message
Aditya V (kroq-gar78) wrote :

Here's my suggestion for the manpage. It's attached as a debdiff, and I'll set my branch to merge. Also, there was no patching system present (edit-patch couldn't find anything), so I just made a plain edit to the files.

Revision history for this message
Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton) wrote :

The attachment "Add description of BROWSER variable" of this bug report has been identified as being a patch in the form of a debdiff. The ubuntu-sponsors team has been subscribed to the bug report so that they can review and hopefully sponsor the debdiff. In the event that this is in fact not a patch you can resolve this situation by removing the tag 'patch' from the bug report and editing the attachment so that it is not flagged as a patch. Additionally, if you are member of the ubuntu-sponsors team please also unsubscribe the team from this bug report.

[This is an automated message performed by a Launchpad user owned by Brian Murray. Please contact him regarding any issues with the action taken in this bug report.]

tags: added: patch
Aditya V (kroq-gar78)
Changed in sensible-utils (Ubuntu):
status: In Progress → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Smylers (smylers) wrote :

Hi. Thanks for this. That patch is definitely an improvement and something useful for users, but it doesn't actually correct the error that this bug pointed out: the claim that there is documentation of BROWSER in environ(7) is still there. BROWSER needs removing from the list of variables in the ‘SEE ALSO’ section.

I think it would also be helpful if ‘SEE ALSO’ mentioned update-alternatives(8), as the way of specifying what x-www-browser and friends run.

Thanks.

Revision history for this message
Michael Terry (mterry) wrote :

Thanks for the attention to detail! Good catch, Smylers. And thanks for the patch kroq-gar78.

However, this isn't a bad enough bug to diverge from Debian from (especially since they have the same problem). I'll suggest filing a bug in Debian (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Debian/ForUbuntuDevelopers has some tips/links on how to report bugs to Debian).

I'll drop the automatically-added ubuntu-sponsors since I don't think we want to act on this patch before Debian.

Revision history for this message
Smylers (smylers) wrote :

I've found there already are some relevant Debian bugs; I think that solving any one of these would fix this Ubuntu bug:

* sensible-browser(1) making the the erroneous claim that environ(7) documents BROWSER: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=567250

* requesting that sensible-browser(1) documents that using the alternatives system will select your preferred browser: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=574582

* request for environ(7) to document BROWSER: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=186282

Cheers

Revision history for this message
Aditya V (kroq-gar78) wrote :

Sorry about that "Fix Committed" status

Changed in sensible-utils (Ubuntu):
status: Fix Committed → In Progress
Aditya V (kroq-gar78)
Changed in sensible-utils (Ubuntu):
status: In Progress → Confirmed
assignee: kroq-gar78 (kroq-gar78) → nobody
Revision history for this message
Smylers (smylers) wrote :

This was fixed a decade ago, in sensible-utils 0.0.8, as documented in the resolution of Debian bug 567250, and confirmed in sensible-utils's changelog.gz entry, dated 2013 June 6th.

Changed in sensible-utils (Ubuntu):
status: Confirmed → Fix Released
Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater)
Changed in sensible-utils (Debian):
status: Unknown → Fix Released
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