[Oneiric] usb-creator should recommend libunity not depend on it

[Harry]

The latest usb-creator-gtk package depends on gir1.2-unity-3.0.
This in turn pulls in packages gir1.2-dee-0.5, gir1.2-dbusmenu-glib-0.4 and libunity4.
This is unnecessary regarding Ubuntu Oneiric setups (with gnome desktop), where Unity is not installed.
I only use gnome-shell and as a fallback gnome-panel.

The dependency of usb-creator-gtk should not be depends, but rather recommends gir1.2-unity-3.0.
Donwgrading back to version 0.2.30 solves this issue.

[dino99 (9d9)]

Get tired of those unnecessary crossed dependencies that only pushed conflicts and forced using unwanted default apps.
Please let open-source free.

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

Why is the dependency wrong? libunity is required so that the integration works on systems with Unity installed (note, the dependency is libunity, and not unity). Making it a recommends adds extra run-time complexity to check if things are installed.

> Get tired of those unnecessary crossed dependencies that only pushed conflicts and forced
> using unwanted default apps.
> Please let open-source free.

I've no idea what this rant even means, but nothing is being forced here. There is a dependency on a small library to make integration work on Unity (you know, our default shell), but nothing is actually forcing you to install or use Unity.

[Harry (harry33)]

I will try to explain, why the dependency is wrong.
In my opinion, Ubuntu (like any other distro) must have its own default applications.
But as a quite common and widely spread distro, I do not find it a good practise to force install parts (like libraries) of any default application.
I find it odd to be forced to install unity libraries or introspection packages into my setup, where I do not even have unity installed.
I only use gnome-shell and gnome-panel.
So, why must I have unity parts installed?
Chris, you gave me already an explanation, which as I understand it was that it more convenient and handy for unity users.
I do understand it, though I do not share this opinion.

[seeker5528 (seeker5528)]

"Why is the dependency wrong? libunity is required so that the integration works on systems with Unity installed (note, the dependency is libunity, and not unity). Making it a recommends adds extra run-time complexity to check if things are installed."

Doesn't it have to do the same run time checks whether the library is installed or not?

If the library is installed does it not have to check to see if Unity is installed or not?

Wouldn't it make more sense to make libunity a dependency of the package (packages?) that provide the launcher/places functionality instead of the ones that could use it if it's running?

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

Chris, the Unity support already is a run-time complexity. See http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~usb-creator-hackers/usb-creator/trunk/view/head:/usbcreator/frontends/gtk/unitysupport.py where usb-creator-gtk checks if libunity is installed or not. This is standard practice because this kind of patch could go upstream .

While Ubuntu does not officially support running Gnome without Unity (for example, ubuntu-desktop doesn't support that & there aren't active developers using this configuration), we don't need to arbitrarily make it impossible.

[dino99 (9d9)]

libunity dependency is gone with Quantal, and Oneiric is outdated.

[Pander (pander)]

See also https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/libunity/+bug/1224611