Subject: Re: [PATCH] Update gstreamer and its families to 1.20.1.

From: Zhu Zihao <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2022 17:16:54 +0800

Liliana Marie Prikler <[email-masked]> writes:
>> * gnu/packages/gstreamer.scm (%gstreamer-version): New variable.
> I don't think that's necessary or even beneficial.  Drop it.
> Ditto for all the packages referencing it.

Good. From my view this can ensure packager to update every package of
gstreamer, not only a part of them. Gstreamer now use a monorepo for all
its components, they'll also have regular release cycle for all
components.

>> * gnu/packages/gstreamer.scm (gst-plugins-good): Update to 1.20.1.
>> [...]
>> [propagated-inputs]: Remove unnecessary propagation.
> Do gst-plugins-good really no longer depend on the base plugins?
>
>> * gnu/packages/gstreamer.scm (gst-plugins-ugly): Update to 1.20.1.
>> [...]
>> [propagated-inputs]: Remove unnecessary propagation.
> Idem.
>
>> * gnu/packages/gstreamer.scm (gst-libav): Update to 1.20.1.
>> [...]
>> [propagated-inputs]: Remove unnecessary propagation.
> Ibidem.

I checked the ugly and good and gst-libav, they do rely on
gst-plugins-base, but no propagation needed. I don't find a reason that
they really requires propagation, because their content just a so file.
Gstreamer in Nixpkgs also don't have propagations for above packages.

For necessary propgations like gst-plugins-bad(header or gi), I've added
some comments.

>> (gst-plugins/selection): Remove because it's not useful in packaging
>> and requires extra maintenance.
>> * gnu/packages/video.scm (pitivi)[inputs]: Use gst-plugins-bad.
> Packages that only require some bad plugins and can exactly state which
> should not be forced to pull in all of them.  The bad plugins are
> explicitly named bad, because they're bad.  Enabling any of them beyond
> necessity should be an active choice of the user.
>
>> * gnu/packages/webkit.scm (webkitgtk):
>> [inputs]: Add gst-plugins-bad. It provides gstreamer-parsecodec.
> My, what a perfect use case for gst-plugins/selection that would be. 
> Note, that gratuitous media codecs are an additional attack surface.
>
> Cheers

I'll investigate into it.

Currently I only see pitivi use gst-plugins/selection. Many package use
gst-plugins-bad directly. 

BTW, how to maintain changes for a long patches series like this in the
review phase? It's quite annoying when I make some minor changes but I
have to re-sent all patches to the mail list.
-- 
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Zihao