openbox installs /etc/alternatives/x-window-manager symlink with unreasonably high priority

[Malcolm Scott]

Binary package hint: openbox

The postinst script for openbox contains:

 update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/x-window-manager \
         x-window-manager /usr/bin/openbox 90 --slave \
         /usr/share/man/man1/x-window-manager.1.gz \
         x-window-manager.1.gz /usr/share/man/man1/openbox.1.gz

i.e. it installs itself as the default window manager with priority 90 (very high). Other window managers typically use priorities of 60 or less; as a result, on installing openbox it becomes the default window manager without prompting the user. For example, on my system (running Ubuntu 10.04):

malcolm@miranda:~$ update-alternatives --display x-window-manager
x-window-manager - auto mode
 link currently points to /usr/bin/openbox
/usr/bin/ion3 - priority 49
 slave x-window-manager.1.gz: /usr/share/man/man1/ion3.1.gz
/usr/bin/metacity - priority 60
 slave x-window-manager.1.gz: /usr/share/man/man1/metacity.1.gz
/usr/bin/mutter - priority 60
 slave x-window-manager.1.gz: /usr/share/man/man1/mutter.1.gz
/usr/bin/openbox - priority 90
 slave x-window-manager.1.gz: /usr/share/man/man1/openbox.1.gz
/usr/bin/pwm3 - priority 48
 slave x-window-manager.1.gz: /usr/share/man/man1/pwm3.1.gz
Current `best' version is /usr/bin/openbox.

I suggest that openbox should use at most priority 60, placing it equal to metacity as installed by GNOME -- preferably a lower priority still, e.g. 50, as it is not the standard Ubuntu window manager.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package openbox - 3.5.2-4

---------------
openbox (3.5.2-4) unstable; urgency=low

  * Patch working:
    + add fix_rsvg_missing_include.patch to fix build with oldest librsvg
    version.
    + add update_pl_po.patch to update Polish language file.
    + refresh 644628_fix_autostart.patch.
  * debian/control:
    + move python-xdg to Recommends. (LP: #1244847)
    + bump standards to 3.9.5.0 (no changes required)
    + remove openbox-themes from Recommends.
  * debian/openbox.postinst:
    + install openbox with lower priority. (LP: #598378)

 -- Mateusz Łukasik <email address hidden> Wed, 30 Oct 2013 19:22:27 +0100