The demise of gksudo from Ubuntu-based distributions and what to do about it

I gather that there were good security-related reasons for discontinuing gksudo. But it's quite inconvenient not having it, for example when you are adding new items to the Linux Mint main menu (using menulibre, for example).

Here's what I do:

• install ssh-askpass
  
  
• add this line
  

  SUDO_ASKPASS=/usr/bin/ssh-askpass
  

  to the file

  /etc/environment

• Then, in menu or batch commands that you want to pop-up a graphical p/w prompt, say
  

  sudo -A <command>