1:30am URL handler idea

[Sean Middleditch <elanthis awesomeplay com>]

Heya everyone...

 Assuming that the URL handler configuration is going to stay in GNOME
(for the various URL types, like SMB and mailto and such), the
configuration is a pain for the average user.

 What I was thinking was that applications could set (in some kind of
database - most likely gconf) a set of type/name/command settings. 
I.e., Evolution would have, for URL type "mailto", an entry with name
"Evolution" and command "evolution '%s'".

 Now, in the URL configurator, for each URL type, there would be a drop
down box containing all the registered apps (plus one entry for custom,
along with a blank line, or also None).  Thus, if I had Balsa,
Evolution, Althea, etc. installed, I could go to the CC and just select
"Balsa", instead of typing in a command string (which is mean to ask of
newbies/idiots).

 And then, to make life even easier for said idiots, apps like Evolution
could pull the Windows "This application is not the default..." messages
(just so long as they have a "do not bother me with this crap again"
checkbox), so that a newbie user who installs Evolution on their machine
after using, say, Mozilla for while, and runs Evolution, can
automatically get it setup as their default.

 And, of course, Evolution and others should have some
button/checkbox/whatever in their config windows to set the app as the
default, and/or enter the URL configuration handler (so the user can get
to it from a sane/easy-to-remember place).

 There might be an advantage in using text files over gconf for this in
that OS packages can drop files for their supporting MIME types with
command in, for example, /etc/gnome/url.d/foobar.  Of course, I suppose
gconf2 will have a nice enough command-line program for the apps to do
it that way...

 Anyways, just a suggestion I thought might make life easier for some. 
I'm probably just being an idiot like usual, tho.  But everyone here
should be used to how much of a moron I am.  ^,^

Sean Etc.