Re: [gentoo-user] [Solved] gtk+ package question

[Jack <ostroffjh@users.sourceforge.net>]

On 2021.06.01 07:40, Mart Raudsepp wrote:
> Ühel kenal päeval, L, 29.05.2021 kell 16:28, kirjutas Jack:
> > I just noticed that the package x11-libs/gtk+ has slots 2 and 3 
> > (nothing new there) however, it seems that version 4 has a totally
> > new package gui-libs/gtk with only slot 0 (no explicit slot listed)
> > with currently ~4.2.0 and 4.2.1 versions available.
> 
> They are in SLOT="4"
> 
> > I've done a quick 
> > search through the announce and dev mailing lists, and not found 
> > anything relevant.  Is this an intentional switch?  I don't think
> > there 
> > is much yet that uses version 4, but is there any planned migration 
> > path?
> 
> Yes, this is an intentional plan from me, executed by others that had
> the time available for it. There were IRC talks and probably some
> comments on the relevant bugs.
> 
> * I consider it too disruptive to package move everything from x11-
> libs/gtk+ to gui-libs/gtk, everyone would need to adapt to it in
> overlays, etc
> * SLOTs are really nothing more than keeping parallel-installable
> packages under the same name, instead of having separate packages like
> libgtk2, libgtk3, etc
> * New parallel-installable version was a good time to make the switch,
> with the old slots left behind in x11-libs until they naturally fall
> out of use
> * It is increasingly less used with X11, and is still in x11-libs due
> to the disruption it would cause to move the existing SLOTs (however
> gtk2 is really X11-only)
> * Upstream renamed the project from GTK+ to GTK in the gtk4  
> development
> phase
> * Separate packages are just as well parallel-installable as separate
> SLOTs
> 
> So given the above, it felt best to just have the new SLOT under new
> package name and not force everyone to do busywork to rename things  
> for
> the old slots.
> 
> Maybe we can move them over in a couple years without extensive  
> overlay
> breakages, when most things are using GTK4, GTK2 has been last rited
> and removed and GTK3 is in a similar state of usage like GTK2 is  
> today,
> or just leave it be and have it eventually disappear.

Mart,

Thanks for that info - it was exactly what I was looking for.  (Also  
sorry I seem to have missed the slot 4 - I do see it now.)  It all  
makes good sense.

Minor mini-rant - unfortunately, gtk+:2 is not quite as totally gone as  
we'd all like.  I still have 10 packages on my box requiring it.  A few  
still need it only for building, and some are expecting upgrades to use  
:3.  I suppose the rest are soon for the history bin.

Jack