Bug#1025961: Recommend xdg-utils package for authentication via web browser

[Andreas Hehn]

Package: openconnect
Version: 9.01-1

Dear openconnect maintainer,

Please add the debian package `xdg-utils` to the recommended package
dependencies.

`xdg-utils` contains the program `xdg-open` which openconnect can use
to launch an external browser authentication for SSO.

For this to work the program `xdg-open` has to be detected during
openconnect's build process, such that it compiles with xdg-open
support.
If xdg-open-enabled openconnect finds `xdg-open` on a users machine,
openconnect can then use it to launch the web browser to perform the
authentication for the VPN server. It will use the default web browser
configured for xdg-open.
If `xdg-open` is not present on a users machine, a login attempt will
fail with "Failed to spawn external browser for <URL>".

I tested this locally with openconnect-9.01. While the current package
openconnect-9.01-1 fails to open a web browser, a local re-build of the
package detects my system's xdg-open and allows to authenticate via
external browser.

Best regards,

Andreas

[Andreas Hehn]

libopenconnect5 might actually be the better package for adding the
recommend dependency.

I recompiled the openconnect and libopenconnect5 packages locally and
installed them, but forgot to mention the libopenconnect5 package in my
RFE/bug report. Installing the recompiled libopenconnect5 package is
enough. I could then use the current openconnect 9.01-1 package in sid.

Best,
Andreas