Don't create ~/.xinputrc unless user changes the IM framework setting explicitly

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson]

The Language Support GUI includes a control for setting the im-config user configuration. The selected value is saved in the im-config file ~/.xinputrc.

When there is no file, language-selector-gnome has up to now used the system wide default and automatically - behind the scenes - saved that value as an explicit user setting by creating ~/.xinputrc. The rational for doing so has been that it's not desirable that the installation of an additional IM framework or changed display language automatically may change the selected IM framework for all users on the system.

However, there are other use cases where this automatic file creation isn't optimal. One example is a system which is installed without any IM framework, which makes the system default to be "none" (meaning that im-config does not do anything). If a user later decides to start using some input method which requires an IM framework, im-config would automatically start to launch and configure that framework if it wasn't for that ~/.xinputrc file. Due to the file, the user also needs to open Language Support and change the IM framework setting.

So there are pros and cons, but I think that a smooth behavior in the latter case carries greater weight. Hence language-selector-gnome should stop creating ~/.xinputrc automatically.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package language-selector - 0.198

---------------
language-selector (0.198) eoan; urgency=medium

  * debian/control, debian/compat:
    - Bump dh version / compat level to 12.
  * debian/control:
    - Bump Standards-Version to 4.4.0.
  * debian/rules:
    - Build with pybuild.
  * debian/language-selector-common.install:
    - Install *.pyc files to please dh_missing.
  * debian/pycompat:
    - Drop (obsolete).
  * LanguageSelector/ImConfig.py:
    - Only create ~/.xinputrc at user request (LP: #1839984)

 -- Gunnar Hjalmarsson <email address hidden> Tue, 13 Aug 2019 16:04:00 +0200