XULRunner
Summary
Introducing and ensuring that all the applications that need only the Gecko browser engine are using XULRunner before the Fedora 9 release.
Owner
- Name: ChristopherAillon
Current status
- Targeted release: Fedora 9
- Last updated: 2008-04-10
- Percentage of completion: 100%
Xulrunner has appeared in rawhide on September 18. Dependencies need to be rebuilt. Xulrunner disappeared again from rawhide on September 19, since unexpected API changes caused the dependencies to no longer build against it... At this point, xulrunner has become an F9 feature. xulrunner made another appearance in rawhide on November 13, this time it is going to stay.
Usage cases/rationale
Applications which require the Gecko engine today depend on Firefox on the whole. XULRunner is the Mozilla effort to split the browser engine for application that require only that without having to pull in the user interface parts too. This would provide more API/ABI stability and a cleaner build environment for applications using Gecko.
Scope
Requires the introduction of XULRunner into the Fedora branch. It is already in the OLPC branch in Fedora. It also requires rebuilding the following applications to built against XULRunner instead of Firefox.
You may find some developers how-to at FeatureXULRunnerAPIChanges .
Packages that already run with XULRunner:
| Package | Bugzilla BZ | Status |
| blam | #434382 | done, but currently broken in rawhide due to mono stack issues (see bz) |
| chmsee | #395661 | done |
| eclipse | done | |
| gecko-sharp2 | done | |
| gnash | done, needs only /usr/lib(64)/mozilla/plugins | |
| gnome-chemistry-utils | done | |
| gtkmozembedmm | #400781 | done |
| gxine | done | |
| HelixPlayer-plugin | done, needs only /usr/lib(64)/mozilla/plugins | |
| java-1.7.0-icedtea | #427350 | done |
| listen | done | |
| opensc | done, needs only /usr/lib(64)/mozilla/plugins | |
| nspluginwrapper | done | |
| openvrml | #402661 | build fine, needs rebuild in koji |
| ruby-gnome2 | #402591 | done, still needs testing (koji build ) |
| swfdec-mozilla | done, needs only /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins | |
| totem | rawhide builds with loads of warnings | |
| xine-plugin | done, needs only /usr/lib(64)/mozilla/plugins | |
| devhelp | #394511 #399441 | done |
| epiphany | #356731 | done, still needs testing |
| epiphany-extensions | done. | |
| yelp | done, still needs testing | |
| gnome-web-photo | #387371 | done |
| galeon | #404271 | apparently builds, some problems with display of fonts which are related to finding the right DPI for screen not xulrunner per se |
Packages that need to rebuild against XULRunner:
| Package | Bugzilla BZ | Status |
| gnome-python2-extras | doesn't build against current xulrunner | |
| gnomesword | failed | |
| kazehakase, kazehakase-ruby | #402641 | failed |
| liferea | #399541 | fails to build with xulrunner support, but does "work" in that it falls back to the gtkhtml backend |
| Miro | #393521 | as of 1.2.2-test Miro builds in F-9 without patching and Miro runs, but display of web components fails, (upstream bug says that works on Ubuntu/hardy using xulrunner b4 ) |
Test Plan
Test to make sure that all the applications listed above are built against XULRunner and function as expected. Note that upstream for different applications have already co-ordinated and tested these changes so the changes should not be disruptive but Fedora is very likely to be first mainstream distribution to be integrating XULRunner as opposed to be merely having it in the repository so encouraging user feedback on the test release announcements would be a good idea.
Dependencies
No other feature dependencies.
Details
Introduce XULrunner in rawhide. Announce the change in fedora-devel-announce list and request maintainers to rebuild against XULrunner instead of Firefox or let the maintainer or small team of people coordinate and do the rebuilds.
Contingency Plan
Not applicable. This feature is already in rawhide and will not be coming out as it is closely related to Firefox 3 (another new feature in Fedora 9).
Documentation
Must be documented in the release notes for Fedora 9.
Release Notes
- TODO