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GNOME Shell extension Dependency Generator
This document represents a proposed Change. As part of the Changes process, proposals are publicly announced in order to receive community feedback. This proposal will only be implemented if approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee.
Summary
Implement a dependency generator for GNOME Shell extensions that would make the binary RPM depend on the correct versions of GNOME Shell
Owner
- Name: Michel Lind, Neal Gompa
- Email: michel@michel-slm.name, ngompa13@gmail.com
Current status
- Targeted release: Fedora Linux 42
- Last updated: 2024-12-18
- [Announced]
- [<will be assigned by the Wrangler> Discussion thread]
- FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
- Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
- Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
Detailed Description
GNOME Shell extensions ship with a metadata.json that lists the supported versions of GNOME Shell. This data is currently unused when packaging an extension, unless the package maintainer explicitly transfer this information to the spec -- and then keeps it up to date.
With this Change Proposal implemented, the binary RPM would automatically declare its dependency on the right versions of GNOME Shell, ensuring that we will discover after mass rebuild if some extensions need to be updated because they will FTI.
Feedback
Benefit to Fedora
This will result in an improved user experience for our users, because extensions that install are now more likely to work.
It will also help extension packagers, as they get early signal that an extension needs to be updated, by getting a FTI bug not long after the mass rebuild is complete.
Scope
- Proposal owners:
- Implement a dependency generator and package it as
gnome-shell-extension-rpm-macros - (optional) make
gnome-shellProvides: gnome-shell(api) == MAJOR_VERto make the implementation of the generator easier - Get this package pulled in by
redhat-rpm-config - Provide a COPR for other developers to test
- Implement a dependency generator and package it as
- Other developers:
- Test your package by explicitly adding the new dependency generator package as a
BuildRequiresand dropping theRequiresongnome-shell - If that works, once the new package is in Fedora and pulled in by
redhat-rpm-config, you may (but do not have to) drop theRequiresongnome-shellas it will be redundant
- Test your package by explicitly adding the new dependency generator package as a
- Release engineering: #Releng issue number
- Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)
- Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
- Alignment with the Fedora Strategy:
Upgrade/compatibility impact
N/A. This change would be transparent to packagers and end-users - it will allow packagers to clean up their spec by removing the explicit Requires on gnome-shell but that is optional
Early Testing (Optional)
Do you require 'QA Blueprint' support? N
How To Test
Extension packagers will be able to test against the COPR containing the new dependency generator
User Experience
Dependencies
This optionally requires changes to gnome-shell and redhat-rpm-config. The former is optional, but eases implementation. The latter is required to make this transparent to other packagers; if that change does not go through this becomes a self-contained change and extension maintainers can opt in by BR-ing the package
Contingency Plan
- Contingency mechanism: (What to do? Who will do it?)
If the dependency generator turns out to be very buggy, we can stop pulling it in redhat-rpm-config
- Contingency deadline:
Beta freeze
- Blocks release? No
Documentation
N/A