bug#68582: 29.1; Emacs does not handle mailto requests

[Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>]

> Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2024 12:51:05 +0000
> Cc: manuel@ledu-giraud.fr, 68582@debbugs.gnu.org
> From: Christopher Yeleighton <giecrilj@stegny.2a.pl>
> 
> I did not configure Emacs to outsource the e-mail sending job, it is the 
> DEFAULT configuration.

What do you mean by "default configuration"?

If you installed Emacs (including the emacs.desktop file) from a
distro, then please take this up with the distro maintainers: they
should configure Emacs to be able to send email if they install the
emacs.desktop file.  If you built and installed Emacs yourself, it is
your responsibility to either configure Emacs to be able to send
email, or not install the emacs.desktop file if you don't.

> Neither the user nor the administrator can overwrite /usr stuff, it is 
> maintained by the package manager.  If you think I can override it 
> instead, I would appreciate a hint on how to do it.

With sudo, I presume.

But if Emacs was installed with a package manager, and the result is
that Emacs is both declared as a handle for mailto and is unable to
send email, then please take this up with whoever prepared the distro
you installed using the package manager.

> Do you mean that the file emacs-mail.desktop should go to 
> docs/emacs/examples instead of applications?

My opinion is and has always been that it is a mistake to distribute
emacs.desktop, because setting up applications on the user systems is
not something the Emacs project should be involved in.  But people
disagreed, so we now have this file, and sure enough it causes trouble
to users.  So from my POV, this file should go to the trash bin.