New subject: X.org Utility Deaggregation - Fedora 33 Self-Contained Change proposal

Friday, 10 July 2020

https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/XorgUtilityDeaggregation

== Summary ==

The collection packages
`xorg-x11-{apps,font-utils,server-utils,utils,xkb-utils}` will be
retired, and the individual utilities within them will be packaged
separately.

== Owner ==
* Name: [[User:ajax|Adam Jackson]]
* Email: ajax(a)redhat.com

== Detailed Description ==

The `xorg-x11-*` collection packages are somewhat arbitrary
collections of the stock utilities and sample applications from the
X.org distribution, mostly for the convenience of comps and other
package-set-definition tooling. Typically not all of the utilities in
a given package will be needed simultaneously, and the version numbers
of the package do not logically reflect the upstream version of any
particular component. Most of the packages that require a particular
component Require that specific component name, as opposed to the
collection package. In addition, some of the components (notably
`luit` and `edid-decode`) are not in fact X.org packages anymore but
have other upstreams.

Deaggregating the individual components will allow for smaller
installed image sizes, less frequent rebuilds for unrelated changes,
and greater flexibility in choice of upstream.

== Feedback ==
It is not strictly necessary to retire the collection packages, they
could instead be converted to metapackages like `xorg-x11-drivers`
that simply Require all the things they used to Provide. However, as
the majority of consumers of these utilities depend on the specific
utility and not the collection, retiring them should require touching
quite few consumers. On the other hand, the upgrade migration path is
more difficult if the collections are retired. I'm open to either
approach.

== Benefit to Fedora ==
1. Smaller installed footprint due to eliminating unused leaf utilities.
2. Utilities will be rebuilt only as they actually change.
3. Utilities that have a new home besides X.org will not be deceptively named.

== Scope ==
* Proposal owners:
Prepare new independent packaging of each utility, and update or
retire the corresponding collection packages. This is a few dozen new
packages, but they are all nearly trivial.

* Other developers: N/A (not a System Wide Change)
* Release engineering:
We may want to update comps to include the new packages, or we may
simply allow them to be brought in by the packages that actually
Require them.
* Policies and guidelines: N/A (not a System Wide Change)
* Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)

== Upgrade/compatibility impact ==
If the collection packages are retired, the new packaging will need to
Obsolete the old collection packages.

== How To Test ==
Spins and package sets that currently include the collection packages
should be tested to verify that they still contain everything they
need after this conversion.

== User Experience ==
Marginally smaller installed image, fewer unrelated updates.

== Dependencies ==
Full list of affected consumer packages TBD.

== Contingency Plan ==
Leave the packaging as it is.

== Documentation ==
None.

== Release Notes ==
Release notes should reflect the fact that the collection packages
have been retired or made meta, and the list of affected utilities
should be noted.

-- 
Ben Cotton
He / Him / His
Senior Program Manager, Fedora & CentOS Stream
Red Hat
TZ=America/Indiana/Indianapolis

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

X.org Utility Deaggregation - Fedora 33 Self-Contained Change proposal