[Bug 1854588] Re: gdebi-gtk calls pkexec inappropriately

[Marcel Partap]

Thanks for the workarounds! Fantastic that progress is picking up, it
seemed doubtful this would ever be resolved. ⏳😅

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1854588

Title:
  gdebi-gtk calls pkexec inappropriately

Status in gdebi:
  Confirmed
Status in gdebi package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Steps to reproduce:

  1. Have Ubuntu with gdebi-gtk installed
  2. Open Firefox
  3. Visit some site with deb-package download link or use direct link like https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/releases/download/2.9.2.1/pandoc-2.9.2.1-1-amd64.deb
  4. Proceed with file downloading
  5. In Firefox select Library → Downloads, click on downloaded deb-file

  Expected results:
  * gdebi-gtk is opened, the package installs normally after users clicks Install button

  Actual results:
  * gdebi-gtk is opened, the package is not installed because of vanishing of gdebi-gtk window just after clicking Install button


  ----

  Before anyone says this bug already exists... it doesn't (at least as
  far as I can see).  It's just that a lot of similar bugs do/did exist
  where people have also experienced the same symptoms (of gdebi-gtk
  vanishing upon clicking 'Install').

  So yes this is the same symptoms, but it must be a different cause as
  the circumstances are different and doesn't have the same resolution.

  The meat of it...

  Basically on a fresh install of Ubuntu MATE 18.04.3 amd64... with Firefox (or with Chrome if you installed that) go to any site that offers a .deb package and either...
  a) choose to open it directly from the browser (rather than saving it to 'Downloads' folder)
  b) or... save the file (e.g. to the 'Downloads' folder), BUT!.. open that file from within the browser itself.

  You should find that gdebi-gtk appears but vanishes the moment you
  click 'Install' without a prompt for a password, an explanation or the
  package actually getting installed.

  This bug has existed since the beginning of Ubuntu 18.04 however it's
  been largely confused with other similar bugs.  I've had it on half a
  dozen machines and confirmed it exists with IRC users on #ubuntu-mate
  of freenode.

  However with *this* bug (compared to others) gdebi-gtk works perfectly
  fine if you run it from the terminal or just double click the .deb
  package from your file manager.

  It's the kind of bug which if you're a hardened desktop Linux user,
  you'd just work around it...

  But if you're a novice and you can't get a simple thing like
  Teamviewer installed (which is a .deb, and a thing I might ask someone
  to do over the phone to try to help them) you likely get fed up and
  re-install Windows :S

  Any input on this would be brilliant as I can't seem to get any
  logs/output.

  ~lantizia

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