[mgp] mgpembed not working b/c old perl code, here is a patch

[thom]

DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=20.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=focal
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 20.04.1 LTS"

Package: mgp
Version: 1.13a+upstream20090219-11
Priority: optional
Section: universe/x11
Origin: Ubuntu
Maintainer: Ubuntu Developers <email address hidden>
Original-Maintainer: Thorsten Glaser <email address hidden>
Bugs: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+filebug

mgpembed is a tool to embed media in an mgp project. It is part of the mgp package.

Since it is very old, written in old style perl, it doesn't work anymore (code rot).
This is the output when running:

$ mgpembed
syntax error at /usr/bin/mgpembed line 24, near "do Getopts("
syntax error at /usr/bin/mgpembed line 27, near "do usage("
syntax error at /usr/bin/mgpembed line 47, near "do readfile("
syntax error at /usr/bin/mgpembed line 119, near "do readfile("
Execution of /usr/bin/mgpembed aborted due to compilation errors.

I had to tinker a bit with an existing patch to replace a few lines in the code to get it working.

I tested it on some old presentations and it works.
Here is the patch, hopefully it will land in an update soon.

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

The attachment "patch for mgpembed" seems to be a patch. If it isn't, please remove the "patch" flag from the attachment, remove the "patch" tag, and if you are a member of the ~ubuntu-reviewers, unsubscribe the team.

[This is an automated message performed by a Launchpad user owned by ~brian-murray, for any issues please contact him.]

[Thorsten Glaser (mirabilos)]

The next major release of mgp will not contain mgpembed; this script is an invitation for security problems.

I’m sorry to see that it is apparently used, but the added maintenance, also in the C part of the mgp binary, was a deciding factor here.

I’m glad you have prepared a patch yourself so you can continue to use it for now, but please consider switching away from mgpembed long-term.