Gnome menu names not linked to packages

Hi Duncan,

where did you search (please inform the URL)? What bug exactly were you expecting as a result?

Thanks for your report.

Well, for example, try searching for 'text editor' - the name used in the gnome menu for gedit. I get a list of 139 packages, how is a new user supposed to know what to do? Luckily gedit is in the window title - not true for 'Archive Manager'. Or what about 'Invest Chart'? It's hard to even see what that's a part of...

Re-assigning to launchpad-integration product. Not a launchpad bug.

This bug is a problem with launchpad, not with launchpad-integration; please move it back if you have permission (reported bug 72658 that I can't). The window in question is one that doesn't even have a menu bar, so launchpad-integration couldn't possibly help.

The underlying problem is that much of the software Launchpad knows about is misleadingly named. In this example, a program that primarily opens a window entitled "Sound Preferences" should be called "Sound Preferences", but (as revealed using the "xprop" terminal command) is actually called "gnome-sound-properties". The underlying problem should be fixed eventually. In the meantime, Launchpad should invite software maintainers to record, in the descriptions for their products and packages, what the software's name is when seen by humans. Then it would be more likely to turn up in a search.

Moving back to launchpad as per mpt's comment.

a related problem is that different *buntu distros
use different naming convention so that when
you switch from one to another, it can be very
confusing to find the applications that you are
used to.

Yes, I know, this may not be a newbie problem,
but it would very much surprise me if I am the
only person who frequently switch between
different flavours of Ubuntu.

As allways communication is both needed
and cumbersome.

This is an even far more reaching problem than was noted initially:

For instance, when I am trying to entertain myself I often select
"Filmuppspelare" (movieplayer for those who do not -yet- speak
Swedish). How on earth is one of those "ordinary people" that
this Ubuntu project is so much caring for going to be able to
figure out that the application started actually is something
called Totem?!?

This is a complex problem, because how should a newbie
figure out that something called Totem is the key to get
going with media content? Accordingly it is a good idea
having descriptive menu items in the native language
selected for the logged on user.

But as easy it makes navigating the menu, it makes the
next step of getting help or reporting problems harder.

My personal view is that the design choices for Ubuntu
are right regarding this particular naming convention,
but then launchpad should get upgraded to help
users find their way around to whatever section needed.

apport now helps with crash reports, and Ubuntu wants users to report bugs via their desktop.

I believe we can close this now, but will assign to bugs just in case I've missed something.

There's definitely nothing here to fix in malone.

After recent activity this has become a 'Won't fix' bug. This is not very useful - I tried to assign this bug to Ubuntu Desktop, but it doesn't seem to exist by that name. I think this should first be a user interface issue. ie: every should somewhere make it clear what the package is called.

I note that the situation since this bug was field is much better, most applications list the package name under 'Help > About' but not all application windows have this dialog. For example the 'Take Screenshot' application.