upcoming issues with python-hulahop, python-xpcom, xulrunner-1.9.2
hi folks,
i don't know if you're aware of the ... issues shall we say ...
surrounding xulrunner 1.9.2 but there's a few changes going on.
python-xpcom is being *dropped* from xulrunner as a first class
citizen and is being turned into a third-rate one. this isn't a
problem right now because debian releases versions of firefox that use
xulrunner-1.9.1.
the rdepends for python-xpcom include python-hulahop and
pyjamas-desktop, epiphany-gecko, sugar-web-activity and so on.
removal of python-xpcom basically screws these projects.
to make matters slightly worse, the mozilla team have dicked with the
xpcom interface c-code as they focus all-out on speed-speed-speed to
the absolute pathological exclusion of all else, in an attempt to
catch up with webkit's increasing mindshare. this decision is
affecting all the language bindings (such as java-xpcom, python-xpcom
and so on).
so, right now, the situation is as follows:
* if you upgrade firefox to a version which uses xulrunner-1.9.2,
python-xpcom and its rdepends go out the window.
* even if you happen to include the third party module
http://hg.mozilla.org/pyxpcom as it is now known, xulrunner's XPCOM
code has been been brain-damaged to the extent that several key
strategic things such as python bindings to XMLHttpRequest will no
longer work. todd whiteman has very kindly agreed to look at this,
and to keep up with the brain-damage.
basically i wanted to appraise people of the situation, because, with
xulrunner-1.9 being in debian/testing since pyjamas-desktop was added,
any attempt to follow the mozilla foundation's headless-chicken
meltdown moments means goodbye epiphany-gecko, sugar-web-activity and
pyjamas-desktop. and... that would be bad :)
yes, you guessed it: ubuntu have indeed been led by the mozilla
foundation on this merry chase, and have indeed just happily ripped
out all the python-xpcom rdepends in the hope that noone would notice.
so... just a heads-up.
l.
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