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Re: do not delete gnome-1



Nathanael Nerode <neroden@twcny.rr.com> writes:

> imlib+png2 (Maintainer: Steve M. Robbins)
> -- this urgently needs to be transitioned to use libpng12 (despite its name).  
> If that's impossible, then you need to pick up libpng10 (a.k.a. png2) as 
> well.  Either way, its uninstallability is the thing which is making the big 
> mess.

The reason for imlib+png2 is to accomodate the use of png2 in gnome-1
programs, since the old and new png libraries cannot coexist in one
binary.  So the gnome-1 libraries are linked against imlib+png2
instead of imlib, to get the old png2.

The problem happens because libgnome-dev requires gdk-imlib1-dev, and
promises gnome-1 programs that png2 will be used and not the new
png.  I don't know about the changes in the new png.  Are they source
compatible?  If not, then the new png *does not replace* the old one.

Now it would be nice to compile libgnome-dev against a new-png version
of gdk-imlib.  But y'all haven't seen fit to make one!  The imlib+png2
source package provides -lgdk_imlib, but the imlib source package does
not.  

Of course, this would not have happened if the remove-happy strategy
of the gnome team were not in effect.

What should have happened was that libpng10 was in use, and Josselin
Mouette didn't want to maintain it any more, so he should have
*orphaned* it.  Don't just delete libraries without checking with the
packages that use them first.  In this case, we were hosed because of
this strategy.

Now, if the imlib package were to acquire a gdx-imlib library, then
that would be special and maybe gnome-libs could link against it and
we'd all be happy.

I'm happy to do the leg-work to make things happen, but:

1) gnome-libs is not orphaned, so I can't do uploads of it;
2) the imlib source package does not build -lgdk_imlib;
3) I can't fix imlib even if it needed to be, because it has a maintainer;
4) libpng10 was deleted without notifying all the users of it, but
   rather, only one direct user (imlib+png2), leaving the indirect
   users no way to tell what was going on until it was too late.

So I'll be glad to help work on this, but golly gee, PLEASE hear the
plea not to start deleting more libraries!

Thomas



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