#879989 calibre registers as application/pdf handler, overrides better ones

#879989#5
Date:
2017-10-28 04:27:16 UTC
From:
To:
Package: calibre
Version: 3.7.0+dfsg-2

Hi Norbert,

I'm not sure if this is a calibre or mime-support bug.

The calibre package ships a
/usr/share/applications/calibre-ebook-viewer.desktop file that declares
itself as a mime handler for application/pdf.  Due to bug #877774 being
present in this version of the package (which is the version that wound up
being shipped in Ubuntu 17.10), it doesn't work at all as a mailcap handler;
but even with that bug fixed, it is taking precedence over evince, which is
the default pdf handler that I have installed and the one that I expect to
see used.

I don't know if this is just a matter of 'calibre-ebook-viewer' sorting
alphabetically before 'evince', or what; but having calibre installed in
order to read ebooks should not make it the default mailcap handler for
pdfs.

I suppose this issue would possibly also be resolved if bug #802767 were
fixed.

Thanks,

#879989#10
Date:
2017-10-28 04:40:54 UTC
From:
To:
Hi Steve,

I am quite sure that it is a mime-support.

I have never understood how mime-support handles this. The defaults
are somehow determined by the last package installed - my feeling.

I have seen this with pdfs, html, most recently with .txt files that
are now tried to be opened with wine+notepad (!!!). Without me
touching anything in the configurations.

I am tempted to through out all and everything of these mime-crap,
or rewrite it from scratch.
problem? Probably (trying to read your mind) by renaming the
calibre-ebook-viewer to ebook-viewer, but then it still sorts before
evince ;-)

Sorry, no idea.

I have decided do define each and every handler necessary in
  ~/.config/mimeapps.list
BTW, also this is a huge fun to find out where one should configure it.

Mine has:
[Default Applications]
application/pdf=evince.desktop;
image/*=eom.desktop;
text/plain=pluma.desktop;
image/jpeg=eom.desktop
video/mp4=smplayer.desktop
text/html=firefox.desktop
x-scheme-handler/http=firefox.desktop
x-scheme-handler/https=firefox.desktop
inode/directory=nemo.desktop


Because even such stupid things as opening a folder does the wrong
thing.

Simpy put,
  MIME support is completely broken in Debian.

Best

Norbert

#879989#15
Date:
2023-05-13 02:45:22 UTC
From:
To:
Dear Maintainer,

Just to confirm that this "bug" remains in the current version and
state that IMHO the mimetypes associated to calibre is "too
greedy". For instance it doesn't make sense to me open a .docx file
sent by e-mail in ebook-edit or ebook-viewer instead of libreofffice.

Best, Alexandre

#879989#20
Date:
2023-05-13 17:25:58 UTC
From:
To:
Hello, Alexandre.
installation order, or some other reasons.
For example, .docx uses LibreOffice even I installs Calibre on my machine.

You can choose your favorite applications as default application from
GNOME file manager application: "Files"
or other file managers.

The help file of this application describes how to change default
application choice (See blow).
Don't forget to set "Always use for this file type" switch to keep your choice.

#879989#25
Date:
2023-05-13 21:52:23 UTC
From:
To:
Hi, Yokota!

I use XFCE here and despite choosing LibreOffice to open the docx files
are opened by ebook-edit or ebokk-viewer when selecting them as
attachments of an e-mail message in mutt.

Reinstalling libreoffice again in aptitude didn't fixed anything. The
workaournd I found here is to edit the mailcap (/etc/mailcap) file,
commenting the lines linking that type of file to ebook-edit and
ebook-viewer programs.

I insist on my suggestion to keep associtaion of files to its more
obvious options programs and let specific users change it to their
needs. In this concrete situation calibre, or any other software, should
not claim the preference for opening .docx files over libreoffice.

Best, Alexandre

#879989#30
Date:
2023-05-13 23:08:50 UTC
From:
To:
Hi Yokota,

yokota <yokota.hgml@gmail.com> writes:
desktop-agnostic way with "xdg-open".

Alexandre is writing about mailcap-defined MIME types.  These can be
tested with  "run-mailcap".

There's a nice article on this topic here:
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/472245/how-to-make-xdg-open-follow-mailcap-settings-in-debian

Alexandre Lymberopoulos <lymber@gmail.com> writes:

Have you tried /etc/mailcap.order?  It might let you work around this
bug while you wait for it to be resolved, and IIRC it means your
customisation[s] won't be  cloberred by a future update.  I vaguely
remember that mimeview or mimeopen might be able to define per-user
mappings, but I'm not sure, because it's been so many years.

If I remember correctly mailcap.order is for admin use only, and not for
Debian packages, but it might be worth asking someone if this would be
alternative to patching upstream `resources/mime.types`.

To be fair, would you please install "antiword" and then try to open a
.doc (not a docx) from mutt?  I'm not sure if antiword supports docx,
but the point is to use a well-established Debian package with
well-established mailcap behaviour.

Alternatively, install upstream `resources/mime.types` to
/usr/share/doc/calibre/examples, and let users opt-in.  The XDG
mechanism should continue to work correctly in this case, it may break
the workflows of users who use minimal window managers.  This solution
is the least work.

Regards,
Nicholas