Firefox 17.0.2 depends on media-libs/alsa-lib-1.0.25-r1 . If that is not installed, the config step of the emerge fails. The error msg is : checking for alsa... Package alsa was not found in the pkg-config search path. Perhaps you should add the directory containing `alsa.pc' to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable No package 'alsa' found configure: error: Need alsa for Ogg, Wave or WebM decoding on Linux. Disable with --disable-ogg --disable-wave --disable-webm. (On Ubuntu, you might try installing the package libasound2-dev.) It makes no difference when USE="-alsa". The error message implies that sound is not required for Firefox 17.0.2 itself, but it looks as if the "--disable" flags have been overlooked when the Gentoo ebuild was being prepared. This needs to be corrected. Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. Emerge Firefox 17.0.2 2. Observe error message 3. Actual Results: Firefox compile fails at the configure step with an error requiring either installation of a sound library or "--disable" flags which are not available to Gentoo users. Expected Results: Firefox compiles without errors. Sound should never be a requirement of any Gentoo package. Some users don't want their computer making noises at them, some users are deaf. Neither group should be forced to installed pkgs they don't need. This looks like an oversight when the ebuild was written & should be easy to fix.
(In reply to comment #0) > Firefox 17.0.2 depends on media-libs/alsa-lib-1.0.25-r1 . > If that is not installed, the config step of the emerge fails. > The error msg is : > checking for alsa... Package alsa was not found in the pkg-config search > path. > Perhaps you should add the directory containing `alsa.pc' > to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable > No package 'alsa' found > configure: error: Need alsa for Ogg, Wave or WebM decoding on Linux. > Disable with --disable-ogg --disable-wave --disable-webm. (On Ubuntu, you > might try installing the package libasound2-dev.) > It makes no difference when USE="-alsa". > > The error message implies that sound is not required for Firefox 17.0.2 > itself, but it looks as if the "--disable" flags have been overlooked when > the Gentoo ebuild was being prepared. This needs to be corrected. > > Reproducible: Always > > Steps to Reproduce: > 1. Emerge Firefox 17.0.2 > 2. Observe error message > 3. > Actual Results: > Firefox compile fails at the configure step with an error requiring either > installation of a sound library or "--disable" flags which are not available > to Gentoo users. > > Expected Results: > Firefox compiles without errors. > > Sound should never be a requirement of any Gentoo package. Some users don't > want their computer making noises at them, some users are deaf. Neither > group should be forced to installed pkgs they don't need. This looks like > an oversight when the ebuild was written & should be easy to fix. There is no oversight, if you do not want the dep simply use the -bin packages. The mozilla team is not gonna support every possible combination when there are known issues building without sound.
This should have been closed 'wontfix' there is nothing to fix in gentoo.
I'm not very happy to be told "use a binary" when this is Gentoo, nor does it make sense to have a flag 'alsa', when '-alsa' still results in a requirement to install alsa-lib + alsa-headers , but I do realise that the Mozilla team seems to have had a tough time stabilising FF 17. To investigate the problem, I created a local ebuild & added the lines mozconfig_annotate '' --disable-ogg mozconfig_annotate '' --disable-wave mozconfig_annotate '' --disable-webm to the src_configure() part of the ebuild. This follows the instruction from Mozilla noted in my original bug report. When I did this, FF begins to compile, but fails with an error : fatal error : nsAudioStream.h : no such file Just in case, I tried again with 'USE="gstreamer" ... --nodeps ... ' -- this is the way to get Kdelibs to compile without sound -- , but the same error hit again. So it looks as if this is a bug to report upstream. Before I do that, do you have any constructive comments or advice ? Thanks as always to the Gentoo devs for their unpaid labor.
(In reply to comment #3) > I'm not very happy to be told "use a binary" when this is Gentoo, nor does > it make sense to have a flag 'alsa', when '-alsa' still results in a > requirement to install alsa-lib + alsa-headers , but I do realise that > the Mozilla team seems to have had a tough time stabilising FF 17. > > To investigate the problem, I created a local ebuild & added the lines > > mozconfig_annotate '' --disable-ogg > mozconfig_annotate '' --disable-wave > mozconfig_annotate '' --disable-webm > > to the src_configure() part of the ebuild. > This follows the instruction from Mozilla noted in my original bug report. > > When I did this, FF begins to compile, but fails with an error : > > fatal error : nsAudioStream.h : no such file > > Just in case, I tried again with 'USE="gstreamer" ... --nodeps ... ' > -- this is the way to get Kdelibs to compile without sound -- , > but the same error hit again. > > So it looks as if this is a bug to report upstream. > > Before I do that, do you have any constructive comments or advice ? > > Thanks as always to the Gentoo devs for their unpaid labor. There is nothing to report upstream, we are well aware of the problem there and the deicision has been made to force the requirement of sound libraries. If something changes later we will readdress sound support.
You agree there's a problem upstream & the fact (above) that their fix of adding 3 "disable" lines doesn't work is very much a bug which upstream should be aware of. Have you reported a bug to Mozilla ? If so, what is its number ? -- if I know that, I can add a note confirming it & can also see what their explanation is & any proposed solution. You say "a decision has been made" : who made that decision & why ? Forcing users to install sound libraries they don't need is not trivial & is not typical of the way Gentoo usually approaches users' choices. And if Gentoo Firefox now requires installing sound libraries, why is there still a flag 'alsa' ? As I said before, I remain grateful to Gentoo devs for their unpaid efforts.
(In reply to comment #5) > You agree there's a problem upstream & the fact (above) > that their fix of adding 3 "disable" lines doesn't work > is very much a bug which upstream should be aware of. configure.in needs to be cleaned up, these things take time. > > Have you reported a bug to Mozilla ? If so, what is its number ? > -- if I know that, I can add a note confirming it > & can also see what their explanation is & any proposed solution. I do not have to report a bug, I work hand in hand with upstream and know there is an open bug, you are more then welcome to search bugs.mozilla.org. > You say "a decision has been made" : who made that decision & why ? > Forcing users to install sound libraries they don't need is not trivial > & is not typical of the way Gentoo usually approaches users' choices. Decision was made by upstream who else would have done it. Well you have a problem with it you are more then welcome to use -bin or maintain a heavily patched version in your own overlay. > And if Gentoo Firefox now requires installing sound libraries, > why is there still a flag 'alsa' ? We have not updated the eclass since 17.0.x was stabilized and had to continue to support 10.x until that happened. > As I said before, I remain grateful to Gentoo devs for their unpaid efforts.
(In reply to comment #6) > (In reply to comment #5) >> You agree there's a problem upstream & the fact (above) >> that their fix of adding 3 "disable" lines doesn't work >> is very much a bug which upstream should be aware of. > configure.in needs to be cleaned up, these things take time. I am patient, if there is some sense of progress (smile). >> Have you reported a bug to Mozilla ? If so, what is its number ? >> -- if I know that, I can add a note confirming it >> & can also see what their explanation is & any proposed solution. > I do not have to report a bug, I work hand in hand with upstream and know > there is an open bug, you are more then welcome to search bugs.mozilla.org. I will have a look & perhaps add a comment there to urge them on. >> You say "a decision has been made" : who made that decision & why ? >> Forcing users to install sound libraries they don't need is not trivial >> & is not typical of the way Gentoo usually approaches users' choices. > Decision was made by upstream: who else would have done it ? I assumed it was yourself : if it was upstream, all the more reason for me to add to their bug records. Thanks for your further reply. I will see what happens in the next while.
