Gettext Runtime Subpackage
Summary
Subpackage gettext's runtime programs in a small runtime subpackage, reducing the default install footprint.
Owner
- Name: Sundeep ANAND
- Email: suanand@redhat.com
- Name: Jens Petersen
- Email: petersen@redhat.com
Current status
- Targeted release: Fedora Linux 37
- Last updated: 2022-06-13
- FESCo issue:
- Tracker bug:
- Release notes tracker:
Detailed Description
Gettext is one of the core packages. Its installed on-disk size is about ~6.1 MB. Extracting runtime utilities from main gettext package into a separate sub-package will reduce the default system footprint by about ~4.7 MB on most normal installations.
After the split this should look like:
gettext-runtime subpackage ----------------------- compressed size: 172 kB uncompressed size: 749.6 kB gettext package ------------------------ compressed size: 1.0 MB uncompressed size: 4.7 MB As gettext-runtime depends on gettext-libs: gettext-libs subpackage ----------------------- compressed size: 322K uncompressed size: 933.7 kB
Grouping of binaries:
gettext-runtime: envsubst gettext gettext.sh ngettext gettext: msgattrib msgcat msgcmp msgcomm msgconv msgen msgexec msgfilter msgfmt msggrep msginit msgmerge msgunfmt msguniq recode-sr-latin xgettext
Feedback
- initial devel thread floating subpackaging idea (April 2022)
Benefit to Fedora
Space saving of about ~4.7 MB for typical installations.
Scope
- Proposal owners:
- Update the gettext package in rawhide to have the new gettext-runtime subpackage, pulled in by the gettext base package (PR)
- File bugs against packages that could be changed to only need gettext-runtime at runtime.
- Other developers:
- Packagers who own packages that have a direct runtime dependency on gettext (estimated under 30 packages) and that actually only need gettext-runtime can change their
Requires: gettextto the newgettext-runtimesubpackage in Rawhide (estimated around 10 Fedora packages).
- Packagers who own packages that have a direct runtime dependency on gettext (estimated under 30 packages) and that actually only need gettext-runtime can change their
- Release engineering:
- todo: link to ticket
- Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)
- Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
- Alignment with Objectives:
Upgrade/compatibility impact
Impact should be low: on upgrade both packages will get installed on systems that had gettext installed.
How To Test
- Preview test package is available from: https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/suanand/gettext-runtime
- Test upgrades from F36 to F37
- Test minimal/default installs continue to work as expected
- Packages that depend on gettext continue to rebuild, install, and function normally
User Experience
User will see a new lighter gettext-runtime package and a gettext package.
Many of the desktop/web apps/libraries continue using gettext. This subpackage separation also corresponds to the recommended packaging by upstream and Debian's gettext-base and gettext packages.
Dependencies
Packages which explicitly have a dependency on gettext need to check if they only need programs provided by gettext-runtime, and if so they can update their dependency to gettext-runtime from gettext.
Roughly about ~26 Fedora packages require gettext (and around 1115 packages have build dependency).
Contingency Plan
- Contingency mechanism: (What to do? Who will do it?) Package owners to revert relevant packages.
- Contingency deadline: Beta freeze
- Blocks release? No
Documentation
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=gettext.git;a=blob;f=PACKAGING
Release Notes
A gettext-runtime subpackage has been added to gettext to separate out the programs needed at runtime, reducing the default install footprint.