Remove gksu from Ubuntu

Bug #1740618 reported by Jeremy Bícha
14
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
edubuntu-netboot (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned
gksu (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned
libgksu (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned
libui-dialog-perl (Ubuntu)
Invalid
Undecided
Unassigned
macchanger-gtk (Ubuntu)
Invalid
Undecided
Unassigned
network-config (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned
sbackup (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned
umit (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

Debian has removed gksu. I recommend that we remove gksu and libgksu for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS also.

It is recommended that developers use PolicyKit to only use elevated privileges for the specific actions where it is needed.

It is recommended that users use the gvfs admin backend available in Ubuntu 17.10 and 18.04 LTS. You can do this with the admin:// prefix. For instance, instead of running gksu gedit or gksu nautilus to edit /etc/default/grub, navigate to admin:///etc/default/ and open the grub file.

Ubuntu 17.10's default session (a themed GNOME on Wayland) does not support gksu. Ubuntu 18.04 switched back to using X instead of Wayland as default but it is expected that Wayland will once again be the default in 18.10.

$ reverse-depends src:gksu
Reverse-Recommends
==================
* macchanger-gtk (for gksu)
* wicd-gtk (for gksu)

Reverse-Depends
===============
* edubuntu-netboot (for gksu)
* peony-gksu (for gksu)
* umit (for gksu)

List of packages to remove and commentary
-----------------------------------------
* peony-gksu: NBS
* macchanger-gtk: Removed from Debian Testing in January 2017 for a security bug
* libui-dialog-perl: no other rdepends but macchanger-gtk. This is the security bug that got macchanger-gtk removed from Testing. Debian bug 496448
* edubuntu-netboot: never in Debian. Edubuntu is "on hold" since 2016.
* umit: never in Debian, appears unmaintained upstream since at least 2014 (maybe 2012?)
* gksu
* libgksu

References
----------
https://jeremy.bicha.net/2018/03/21/gksu-is-dead/
https://bugs.debian.org/892768
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/2018-April/040286.html

Tags: bionic
Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)
description: updated
Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)
description: updated
Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)
description: updated
tags: added: bionic
description: updated
no longer affects: aptoncd (Ubuntu)
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

> * sbackup: never in Debian

Not exactly true. sbackup 0.10.5+nmu1 was removed from Debian on 2017-09-10.

Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

Removing packages:
 sbackup 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic
  sbackup 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic amd64
  sbackup 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic arm64
  sbackup 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic armhf
  sbackup 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic i386
  sbackup 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic ppc64el
  sbackup 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic s390x
  sbackup-gtk 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic amd64
  sbackup-gtk 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic arm64
  sbackup-gtk 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic armhf
  sbackup-gtk 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic i386
  sbackup-gtk 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic ppc64el
  sbackup-gtk 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic s390x
  sbackup-plugins-fuse 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic amd64
  sbackup-plugins-fuse 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic arm64
  sbackup-plugins-fuse 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic armhf
  sbackup-plugins-fuse 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic i386
  sbackup-plugins-fuse 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic ppc64el
  sbackup-plugins-fuse 0.11.6-0ubuntu1 in bionic s390x
Comment: (From Debian) RoQA; missed both jessie and stretch; Debian bug #870969
Remove [y|N]? y

Changed in sbackup (Ubuntu):
status: New → Fix Released
Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)
Changed in network-config (Ubuntu):
status: New → Fix Released
Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)
summary: - Remove unmaintained gksu reverse dependencies
+ Remove gksu from Ubuntu
no longer affects: macchanger-gtk (Ubuntu)
Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)
description: updated
description: updated
Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)
description: updated
Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)
description: updated
Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)
description: updated
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

Removing packages from bionic:
 edubuntu-netboot 14.04.2 in bionic
  edubuntu-netboot 14.04.2 in bionic amd64
  edubuntu-netboot 14.04.2 in bionic arm64
  edubuntu-netboot 14.04.2 in bionic armhf
  edubuntu-netboot 14.04.2 in bionic i386
  edubuntu-netboot 14.04.2 in bionic ppc64el
  edubuntu-netboot 14.04.2 in bionic s390x
Comment: Unmaintained package for no-longer-active flavor; depends on gksu which is obsolete and removed from Debian; LP: #1740618
1 package successfully removed.

Changed in edubuntu-netboot (Ubuntu):
status: New → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

Removing packages from bionic:
 umit 0.9.5-0ubuntu6 in bionic
  umit 0.9.5-0ubuntu6 in bionic amd64
  umit 0.9.5-0ubuntu6 in bionic arm64
  umit 0.9.5-0ubuntu6 in bionic armhf
  umit 0.9.5-0ubuntu6 in bionic i386
  umit 0.9.5-0ubuntu6 in bionic ppc64el
  umit 0.9.5-0ubuntu6 in bionic s390x
Comment: Ubuntu-specific, in maintenance-mode since 2009, depends on obsolete gksu; LP: #1740618
1 package successfully removed.

Changed in umit (Ubuntu):
status: New → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

Removing packages:
 gksu 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic
  gksu 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic amd64
  gksu 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic arm64
  gksu 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic armhf
  gksu 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic i386
  gksu 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic ppc64el
  gksu 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic s390x
  gksu-dbgsym 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic amd64
  gksu-dbgsym 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic arm64
  gksu-dbgsym 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic armhf
  gksu-dbgsym 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic i386
  gksu-dbgsym 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic ppc64el
  gksu-dbgsym 2.0.2-9ubuntu2 in bionic s390x
Comment: (From Debian) RoM; RoQA; unmaintained; Debian bug #892768
Remove [y|N]? y

Changed in gksu (Ubuntu):
status: New → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

Removing packages:
 libgksu 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic
  libgksu2-0 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic amd64
  libgksu2-0 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic arm64
  libgksu2-0 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic armhf
  libgksu2-0 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic i386
  libgksu2-0 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic ppc64el
  libgksu2-0 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic s390x
  libgksu2-0-dbgsym 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic amd64
  libgksu2-0-dbgsym 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic arm64
  libgksu2-0-dbgsym 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic armhf
  libgksu2-0-dbgsym 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic i386
  libgksu2-0-dbgsym 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic ppc64el
  libgksu2-0-dbgsym 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic s390x
  libgksu2-dev 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic amd64
  libgksu2-dev 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic arm64
  libgksu2-dev 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic armhf
  libgksu2-dev 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic i386
  libgksu2-dev 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic ppc64el
  libgksu2-dev 2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2 in bionic s390x
Comment: (From Debian) RoM; RoQA; unmaintained, security-sensitive; Debian bug #892771
Remove [y|N]? y

Changed in libgksu (Ubuntu):
status: New → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

if you believe Debian bug #496448 is sufficient rationale for removal of macchanger-gtk+libui-dialog-perl independent of gksu, can you please open that as a separate bug? I do not consider a Recommends: on a removed package to be grounds for removal, and solving a Recommends: on a removed package by removing the recommending package doesn't do anything to improve the user's experience .

Changed in libui-dialog-perl (Ubuntu):
status: New → Invalid
Changed in macchanger-gtk (Ubuntu):
status: New → Invalid
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