[webapp-container] Undocumented command line option --no-australia-mode

[Peter Bittner]

It has been reported by personnel related to Canonical [1] that webapp-container has a (obviously undocumented) command line option `--no-australia-mode`.

[1] https://lists.launchpad.net/ubuntu-phone/msg21542.html

Analysis
--------

- This option doesn't show up when webapp-container is run with `--help`.
- The webapp-container binary doesn't refuse to run when the `--no-australia-mode` option is used.

Expected Result
---------------

- Running webapp-container with `--help` should mention and explain the `--no-australia-mode` option (if it exists).
- The webapp-container binary should refuse to run with unknown or invalid command line options.

See Also
--------

- Bug 1554202 for related information.
- Bug 1563398 / comment 11 (Set the front camera as the default for video media requests)

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

Longest running joke ever :)

Sorry Peter if you took that one seriously, but it was a joke. There isn’t (and won’t be) such a command-line option. Bug #1563398 will be fixed in OTA12, to be released next week I believe.

[Peter Bittner (peter-bittner)]

I was hoping to get a few "likes" on that bug.

With the shortcomings we have on the Ubuntu Touch platform I don't think Canonical can afford to have those kind of jokes around. People from the community have limited time to invest to make contributions, to make the platform and apps better.

Ubuntu people like ogra should better invest their energy into fixing bugs, improve bug reports or otherwise support development efforts. When we community people are taken for a ride with humor that takes long to understand, and when this is even supported by Canonical employees this is questionable at least if not even problematic. Motivation to contribute will suffer.

[Peter Bittner (peter-bittner)]

From a technical perspective the behavior of the `webapp-container` should be classified as a bug, I believe. Invalid parameters should make the binary abort execution. Otherwise we may have parameters in use around that could be added in future and turn into erroneous, changed behavior of the app executing.

[Oliver Grawert (ogra)]

So because i work for Canonical i am not allowed to have any humour ?

Please note that I do not work on the phone, I do develop apps for it in my spare time just like you (and I did work on the initial creation of the phone images 2 years ago), obviously nearly everyone else got the joke of having such an absurdly named option and I am really sorry that you did not ...

Bug #1563398 exists since a while, is in the process of being fixed for you and was mentioned in the mail thread before.

I am not sure what to say really, or why this bothers you so much, it was a joke, I apologized when I noticed you didn't get it and I am not willing to wipe any humour from my mail conversations because you feel like people working for canonical should not have any ...

Lets please get on with life and not pull that little misunderstanding out of proportion ... once the phone got switched to a snappy based system you have all the right to blame me for bugs and I will try to remember to only talk to you in a very serious tone then, so we do not repeat this ...