Bug 245451 – gnome-base/gnome-light-2.20.3 tries to find OAFIID:GNOME_MixerApplet and fails

• Product: Gentoo Linux
• Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE

[Description Jon Phillips 2008-11-03 22:40:40 UTC]

gnome-base/gnome-light-2.20.3 gives an error on startup: 

The panel encountered a problem while loading "OAFIID:GNOME_MixerApplet".
Do you want to delete the applet from your configuration?

when gnome-base/gnome-applets is not emerged.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Make sure gnome-base/gnome-applets is not emerged
2. emerge gnome-light
3. run a gnome session

Actual Results:  
an error box appears: 

The panel encountered a problem while loading "OAFIID:GNOME_MixerApplet".
Do you want to delete the applet from your configuration?

with options don't delete and delete

Expected Results:  
Not given this error box

I got this error by unmerging gnome, emerging gnome-light and then depclean and revdep-rebuild.  It looks like somebody else has had the problem after emerging the normal way though: shown on this forum thread.  http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-482314-highlight-oafiid+gnomemixerapplet.html
So it probably isn't just my weired way of doing things that caused it.

[Comment 1 Rémi Cardona (RETIRED) 2008-11-03 23:58:05 UTC]

We've already discussed this issue many times before (also in an even older bug, bug #38960), and the team's decision is to keep gnome-light as is.

Both gnome meta ebuilds are provided for convenience only. If they don't fit your expectations, feel free to copy them to a local overlay and modify them in any way you see fit.

Thanks for your understanding.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 199068 ***

[Comment 2 Jon Phillips 2008-11-04 19:24:10 UTC]

I _think_ you've misunderstood me.  All I'm saying is that the error message should not be there, not that gnome-applets should be installed.  Isn't it possible to test if gnome-applets is installed (during the emerge of gnome-light); if it is then change a config file so that gnome doesn't give that error  Similarly, when you install gnome-applets, look to see if it's enabled in a config file, and if it isn't, make gnome look for it (that's probably done anyway, I don't know).  It would just make gnome-light a little more well polished.  

(In reply to comment #1)
> We've already discussed this issue many times before (also in an even older
> bug, bug #38960), and the team's decision is to keep gnome-light as is.
> 
> Both gnome meta ebuilds are provided for convenience only. If they don't fit
> your expectations, feel free to copy them to a local overlay and modify them in
> any way you see fit.
> 
> Thanks for your understanding.
> 
> *** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 199068 ***
> 

[Comment 3 Rémi Cardona (RETIRED) 2008-11-05 10:16:39 UTC]

No no :) Don't worry, I understood you perfectly.

But let me refine our current stance on our ebuild metas :

 - gnome-base/gnome is the official meta we support,
 - gnome-base/gnome-light is just a convenience meta for users willing to deal with unforeseen problems.

For this particular bug, the default gnome-session profile assumes that gnome-applets will be available. The problem is that gnome-session doesn't know if gnome-light is being used or not. Short of adding USE flags throughout all the core gnome pieces, this is not something that's easily fixable.

Thanks