file dependencies and packages and [blocker] bugs

[Andrew Farris]

Hans de Goede wrote:
> seth vidal wrote:
>> Don't you think we should be able to do something to make this situation
>> better or even rarer?
>>
> 
> Erm, no not really, these apps need a certain file to be in a certain 
> place, isn't that what filedeps are for?

Don't you think instead the application should be fixed to stop doing something 
so archaic as directly accessing font filenames where they are expected to be?

> I really believe all these packages should be fixed to stop shipping a 
> private copy of these fonts. The way todo this is to symlink to the 
> installed official versions, as the packages will actually look for for 
> example
> /usr/share/blobAndConquer/data/fonts/vera.ttf and then do their own 
> rendering (as overlay to a rendered game scene).

I just don't see why you would 'fix' the problem of shipping extra fonts by 
rigging them up with fake font files and filedeps (isn't this exactly what 
symlinking effectively is?).  As long as the apps are really requiring the fonts 
by a specific filename they should ship the file, or stop loading them that way.

There certainly must be a better approach.  Even if the packages that need extra 
fonts go ahead and ship them... then the majority of users who aren't installing 
or updating these games do not have to deal with this.  The bandwidth usage 
caused by downloading large filelists certainly must be higher than just 
shipping some extra fonts in those game packages.

-- 
Andrew Farris <lordmorgul at gmail.com> www.lordmorgul.net
  gpg 0xC99B1DF3 fingerprint CDEC 6FAD BA27 40DF 707E A2E0 F0F6 E622 C99B 1DF3
No one now has, and no one will ever again get, the big picture. - Daniel Geer
----                                                                       ----