Why do I need mDNSResponder/howl?

[Aleksandar Milivojevic]

Rahul Sundaram wrote:
> gnome uses it to do automatic network discovery. It shouldnt be
> removed because it has become a basic library and yes kde 3.4 will
> have the exact same feature using the apple library which hasnt been
> relicensed to bsd from the original free but gpl incompatible apple
> license. if you consider that bloat then you need to move on the
> something like xfce or fluxbox. stopping progress because you are
> freaking about controlling each and every library installed in your
> system isnt going to help

I don't have anything against howl-libs package being installed (but I 
wouldn't mind removing it).  I just want to remove howl package that I 
have no use of.  Ideally, glue libraries/packages, such as gnome-vfs2, 
should detect on runtime what is available, rahter than requiring you to 
install ton's of garbage on your system just because somebody, 
someplace, in some distant undefined future might need it.  It is a sad 
practice in Linux distributions to introduce "features" through the back 
door, behind the back, when you are not looking.  Reminds me of another 
operating system, let call it Windows.

There's a nice feature of Debian packaging system that would come handy 
here, the "recommends" list.  gnome-vfs2 shouldn't require howl-libs, 
but it should recommend it (well, it can't do that, since there's no 
such thing as "recommends" section in RPM packaging system).  The user 
can than decide if he needs or doesn't need a particular feature.

-- 
Aleksandar Milivojevic <amilivojevic at pbl.ca>    Pollard Banknote Limited
Systems Administrator                           1499 Buffalo Place
Tel: (204) 474-2323 ext 276                     Winnipeg, MB  R3T 1L7