On 09.12.21 21:44, Andrew M.A. Cater wrote:
On Thu, Dec 09, 2021 at 05:11:05PM +0000, piorunz wrote:https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Web-Browser-Packages-Debian :( -- With kindest regards, Piotr. ⢀⣴⠾⠻⢶⣦⠀ ⣾⠁⢠⠒⠀⣿⡁ Debian - The universal operating system ⢿⡄⠘⠷⠚⠋⠀ https://www.debian.org/ ⠈⠳⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀Yes: not great but also not informed. We do package the latest versions as we can - the latest dependency on Rust is a problem and the point about needing to build toolchains is very valid. Too many comments there are just Debian-bashing with no real understanding. The one thing that would be good would be a backport of the mesa-utils to Bullseye as that would also solve problems with Debian and GUI apps under WSL2 and Windows :) All the very best, as ever, Andy Cater
It's a pity that Debian cannot be flexible to offer more secure and already available binary versions of software for the assumed many users only caring for installing a binary from the official Debian repository on some very typical PC hardware, and marking the rest of the job, like providing all the toolchain for those who want to compile software themselves, or providing binaries for less frequently used hardware, to still be on delay.
I mean, GUI web browsers and GUI email clients like Firefox and Thunderbird are more likely used on Intel or AMD powered PCs and laptops, than on other architectures, right? This is at least my guess. In my opinion and in this particular case it would be good to get a vast of users as quickly as possible into secure waters instead of putting most of them on risk of grounding in order to treat all possible victims the same.
I know that a toolchain is needed to get a published source code for everyone reproducible compiled into an executable binary, and that this is a very important part of the security to not become fooled. But if the toolchain is available already for one platform, then the delivery of the more secure software should not be delayed for that platform because other platforms are still not ready, at least not for user clients of so central importance in nowadays desktop and internet usage.
The "Debian-bashing comments with no real understanding" might not provide correct insights into the complex machinery which the Debian project is, and I also might not have understood and above commented on the situation correctly. But these comments for sure point out that all the excellent work of all the active maintainers seems to occasionally stumble over a too rigid project policy. I know that the huge Debian project will (can? should?) not easily change its way of doing things, but some more flexibility at least for some few selected desktop apps could improve the Debian project and especially its reputation also as a desktop operating system.
Well, just my comment on the situation from a desktop user's perspective. Please, I do not wish to discuss (this would hijack this thread and create a monster thread on the Debian philosophy). I simply thought it is the correct moment and place to leave this comment to the Debian developers, and I want to support the original concern brought up by this thread that apps like Firefox really need faster publishing of available updates. I suggest to consider publishing available updates for a platform as soon as available and not delaying this by obstacles still being an issue on some other platforms - if I understood the cause for the delay correctly.
Thanks for developing and maintaining Debian! Marco