[Mageia-dev] [RFC] debloating minimal system

Wed Sep 14 13:08:48 CEST 2011

Hi
+
+Currently our minimal system is pretty bloated (unless one install really
+minimal system without suggested packages).
+
+For example, installing udev will bring in many GNOME packages.
+
+See https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1750
+and https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=609
+
+See the following require cycle:
+udev -> libglib -> glib2.0-common -> libgio -> libgvfs -> gvfs->
+libgnome-keyring -> gnome-keyring -> lib64(gtk|gnome)*
+
+Why?
+Because manual requires are added else some stuff wouldn't work because they
+are dlopen()ed instead of being linked to
+
+Note that pixel, fcrozat & me broke those cycles years ago (early 2008). Eg:
+- create sub-package libgio2.0_0 which suggests libgvfs0 to break
+require/suggest
+  link consolekit->glib->gvfs->hal
+
+But as we all know the empire always strikes back.
+Eg: now glib2.0-common requires the gio sub-package, which defeats its purpose.
+This was broken in "Add Requires(post) for gio modules list generation":
+http://svn.mandriva.com/cgi-bin/viewvc.cgi/packages/cooker/glib2.0/current/SPECS/glib2.0.spec?r1=499567&r2=499568&
+
+What's "funny" is that we still carry that whereas  gio-querymodules-*
+were then moved to
+the gio sub-package and are now called from there...
+
+I've just fixed that, but it would be nice if:
+- more people try to minimize minimal system
+- packagers watch what they're doing
+- some people watch minimal system size (maybe some bot should do that?).
+
+We may need to break further pkg cycles for minimal BS
+
+See you
+