Bug 215915 – Request firefox header package so we can always use FF-bin

• Product: Gentoo Linux
• Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

[Description Sebastian 2008-04-02 18:42:00 UTC]

Hi all,

I guess someone already thought about this - but I couldn't find a report regarding this one, so here's my little rant anyway.

Packages often depend on mozilla-firefox when the "nsplugin" USE flag is set. For instance vlc and totem. But mozilla-firefox is a pretty big package to compile -- I for one rather use the mozilla-firefox-bin package.

So here's my request/question: Would it be possible to have a mozilla-firefox-headers ebuild that vlc, totem and all the others can depend on (in case the "nsplugin" USE flag is set)?

You'd end up having mozilla-firefox-bin and mozilla-firefox-headers on your box -- wouldn't that be enough to be able to compile the netscape plugins in applications like vlc and totem?

If this would work the FF-bin users wouldn't be forced to compile FF is all I'm saying. I hope someone will shed some light.

Thanks!

Regards
Sebastian

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Emerge vlc with "nsplugin" in your USE flags
2. mozilla-firefox gets pulled in as a dependency, although you may only want to have the FF-bin version

Actual Results:  
mozilla-firefox gets compiled.

Expected Results:  
Portage offers a headers package of firefox that supplies all the necessities to build the netscape plugin extensions of other software, for instance vlc and totem.

[Comment 1 Ben de Groot (RETIRED) 2008-04-02 18:55:22 UTC]

USE=xulrunner will fix that for you ;)

[Comment 2 Sebastian 2008-04-02 19:14:44 UTC]

Are you sure? There's both xulrunner and xulrunner-bin. xulrunner is ~ 30 MB so compiling that would take approximately the same amount of time as firefox. And the -bin version of xulrunner isn't mentioned as an alternative dependency in both vlc and totem. 

[Comment 3 Carsten Lohrke (RETIRED) 2008-04-02 20:00:10 UTC]

Dropping this request directly on the mozilla team, for obvious reasons.

[Comment 4 Carsten Lohrke (RETIRED) 2008-04-03 22:41:38 UTC]

Well, actually assigning to the mozilla team. Thanks for poking me Sebastian.

[Comment 5 Raúl Porcel (RETIRED) 2008-04-04 06:20:06 UTC]

xulrunner-bin is what you may want. Have you tried if those packages build against it? If so, open different bugs for them.