==================
libgksu for Debian
==================

The gksu library enables the user to run programs with root powers
using one of `su' or `sudo' as backend. If the application that uses
the library doesn't specify the backend it wants to use, the backend
will be selected through the `/apps/gksu/sudo-mode' boolean gconf
option.

The Debian package provides two gconf default files, one of them
setting sudo-mode to true, the other setting sudo-mode to false. Which
one of them is used to set the default is decided through an
alternative.

Debian tools, Systems Administrators and custom distributions builders
might want to make use of this functionality to decide whhich backend
to use. This is done by configuring the libgksu-gconf-default
alternative:

 # update-alternatives --config libgksu-gconf-defaults

 There are 2 alternatives which provide `libgksu-gconf-defaults'.

   Selection    Alternative
 -----------------------------------------------
 *         1    /usr/share/libgksu/debian/gconf-defaults.libgksu-sudo
  +        2    /usr/share/libgksu/debian/gconf-defaults.libgksu-su

 Press enter to keep the default[*], or type selection number: 2
 Using `/usr/share/libgksu/debian/gconf-defaults.libgksu-su' to provide `libgksu-gconf-defaults'.

After setting the alternative you must run the `update-gconf-defaults'
script to actually apply the setting to the gconf defaults XML file.

While this possibility exists, it would be best if it is only used by
the internal Debian infra-structure, since there are already better
and documented ways of providing "default" settings for gconf-using
applications both in the upstream software[0] and in the gconf
packaging[1] itself, good for administrators and custom distributions
builders, respectively.

[0]: Read the GNOME Desktop System Administration Guide at
     http://www.gnome.org/learn/admin-guide/latest/
[1]: See the dh_gconf(1) script provided in the debhelper package and
     also see the /usr/sbin/update-gconf-defaults python script
     provided in the gconf package

 -- Gustavo Noronha Silva <kov@debian.org>, Sun,  3 Sep 2006 19:06:47 -0300