/usr/share/magic.mime is needed for the -i option: $ file -i core file: couldn't find any magic files! [... copying magic.mime ...] $ file -i core core: application/x-coredump I don't know which magic.mime file is the best one. The 'file' package itself contains such a file, but 'gnome-libs' is installing /etc/mime-magic which seems to be more extensive.
This defect is considered MUST-FIX for Winston Gold-release
A copy of /etc/mime-magic is now included as /usr/share/magic.mime, that should fix the critical Winston problem. However, since /etc/mime-magic (from gnome-libs) and /usr/share/magic.mime (from file) are copies, this bug is almost certainly gonna crop up again unless 1) only one of the packages file and gnome-libs owns the file contents. 2) both file and gnome (and KDE and ...) start using the same path to the file contents. DEFERRED to gnome-libs for contemplation.
Yup, here comes the problem from file(1) again, the gnome-libs copy of /usr/share/mime.magic has been replaced with the file copy. Off to gnome-libs for answers to: 1) Which package, gnome-libs or file, should carry "official" mime types onto the file system? I'd suggest file, but understand OTOH too. 2) Can we get a unified copy of mime types onto a common path for both file and gnome-libs?
*** Bug 76821 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Bounce back to file with the answers, and I'll be happy to do the work :-)