Re: [gentoo-desktop] *kit free desktop profile

[Dominique Michel]

Le Sat, 20 Oct 2012 14:08:55 -0500,
Canek Peláez Valdés <caneko@×××××.com> a écrit :

> On Sat, Oct 20, 2012 at 1:07 PM, Dominique Michel
> <dominique.michel@××××××.ch> wrote:
> > It is at least 20 window managers / desktops in gentoo that know
> > nothing about sys-auth/polkit, or can be installed without it,
> > including ROX, Razor-QT, XFCE, afterstep, *box, enlightenement,
> > fluxbox, fvwm, fvwm-crystal and wmaker.
>
> As you yourself mention it, most of them are *window managers*, not
> *desktop environments*. Of the ones above that undoubtedly qualify as
> desktop environments (like Xfce), they can (and do) use polkit, even
> if it is configurable.

Another one is fvwm-crystal, and it know nothing about *kit.

>
> > But, and this is a big but, the 3 desktop profiles in portage
> > depend on polkit.
>
> Because they are desktop environments, not only window managers.

No, because big companies need the functionalities in polkit, and also
because it is no alternative at that time for those functionalities.

>
> > A desktop profile that doesn't depend on polkit can be easily done
> > from the desktop profile with the following USE changes:
> >
> >     USE="-consolekit -policykit -udisks -upower"
> >
> > Can such a desktop profile be incorporated in portage?
>
> You can roll your own profile in /etc/portage/profile. Also, you can
> set "-consolekit -policykit -udisks -upower" in
> /etc/portage/make.conf.
>
> The idea of the profiles (AFAIU), is to get a sensible set of defaults
> for the *majority* of users. In the case of desktop users, this means
> GNOME, KDE, and probably Xfce. You don't really need a profile per
> every single window manager in the universe. You don't get a profile
> for Emacs and another for vi. Hell, we systemd users don't have a
> systemd profile (and honestly, I don't think we need it).
>
> You don't want the kits? Mask them in /etc/portage/make.conf. Even
> when I use the GNOME progile, that doesn't mask everything
> KDE-related; I need to explicitly put "-kde -qt4" in my USE flags. I
> don't think a gnome-only-and-please-exorcise-kde-and-qt-from-my-system
> profile is necessary. Likewise,  I don't think a
> desktop-but-please-dont-wanna-use-kits profiles is worth the inodes it
> would waste.

gnome and kde users have their profiles. Users of other desktops that
need "kit can use the desktop profile. But it is no profile for users
that want to use a wm or a desktop that doesn't hard depend on *kit.

I am not the only one that doesn't like and doesn't want stuffs like
*kit. They are a waste of resources and cause regressions (startx that
doesn't work any more without running *kit, automounting that doesn't
work when it was working before), without to mention the fact that
polkit is totally unmanageable for one that doesn't know java script
very well. In one word, *kit is completely idiotic for many
(most?) users.

It is alternatives for auto-mounting and power management, alternatives
that just can do the job for most users, and without the need to run
daemons and to incorporate a java script interpreter into the core of
the system.

Again, the only ones that really need the functionalities provided by
*kit are big companies. All the other users do have more interesting
things to do than to learn java script, and they don't will pay for
managing their system either.

So, definitely, I don't want polkit and I am not the only one.
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-933724-highlight-.html
 
>
> My 0.02 ${CURRENCY}? Set your USE flag, like everyone else.

It is what I have done.
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-938680-highlight-.html

Best,
Dominique
 
>
> Regards.


-- 
"We have the heroes we deserve."