[packaging] Menu item is not removed on uninstall

[Alex Ruddick]

Binary package hint: usb-creator

After uninstalling usb-creator, the menu item remained in System > Administration (with an empty window icon).

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

That's likely due to a left-over desktop file in your profile. Could you please try with a new user profile and see if that exhibits the same issue?

Thanks

[Alex Ruddick (alexrudd0)]

A new user profile does not show the same issue.

My user profile has ~/.local/share/applications and the new one does not. This directory has the extraneous desktop file.

I have KDE4 installed alongside GNOME, if that makes a difference.

[Alex Ruddick (alexrudd0)]

Apparently the problem is alacarte. I can get the new profile to have the leftover file if I touch the menu item in alacarte (i.e. unheck and check it). I'll file a bug for that, I guess.

In any case, it would still make sense for the package to remove the file in ~/.local/share/applications. Not sure if this affects other packages.

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

That's not a bug in usb-creator. The package manager certainly shouldn't be removing files that it doesn't own, from users home directories. I'm not really sure of any way around this, but I'll keep the bug open for now.

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

FWIW, the extraneous desktop file only appeared in ~/.local/share/applications because you previously edited the menu entry with Alacarte.

[Alex Ruddick (alexrudd0)]

"The package manager certainly shouldn't be removing files that it doesn't own, from users home directories."

Why not, if the files are useless? They are only used for that package. Perhaps this is a job for computer-janitor?

Here is a relevant alacarte bug I filed.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/alacarte/+bug/340285