alister <alister.w...@ntlworld.com>: > On Wed, 06 Dec 2017 10:35:58 +1200, Steve D'Aprano wrote: >> Then how does my Linux box know that when I double-click on a text >> file, it launches kwrite rather than (say) the Gimp or LibreOffice? >> >> When I right-click on a mp4 video, I get a menu that includes a Open >> With command that shows (amount others) Kaffeine, mplayer and VLC. >> >> If you mean the Linux *kernel* doesn't do file associations, then you >> should have said so. >> >> But why do you care about the kernel? Would you think it even the >> *tiniest* useful to claim that "Linux doesn't do email" because it is >> sendmail or postfix (or similar) that sends email rather than the >> Linux kernel itself? > > Linux does not associate by file extn it uses a 'magic' file to > analyse the content of the file so that it runs the correct > application regardless of the file extn.
"Linux" is one of those words that has ceased to have much meaning. Personally, I wouldn't think "double-clicking on a text file" has anything to do with linux. I use linux during most of my waking hours but I don't remember ever "double-clicking on a text file". BTW, with the triumph of systemd, I would say linux is falling ever more to the background. I am thinking more and more that "Linux" is a bad generic name for the modern distros. Instead, we should talk about "systemd" as the overall name of the OS. Linux really is a relatively minor component in the mind of the user or the application developer. For example, Linux doesn't dictate how one should develop a system service; systemd calls the shots. Marko -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
