Subject: bug#63427: gdk-pixbuf unable to recognize image formats (JPG, PNG, etc.)

From: Liliana Marie Prikler <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 11 May 2023 21:11:36 +0200

Am Donnerstag, dem 11.05.2023 um 10:05 +0200 schrieb Josselin Poiret:
> Now, if we had packaged everything properly, all the applications you
> mention should *propagate* gdk-pixbuf and not just list it as an
> input
No.  Propagated inputs are *never* the result of proper packaging. 
More often than not, they create more issues than they solve by
reducing Guix to the capabilities of a dumb package manager.  While
yes, they have been accepted as a solution to some issues (e.g. pkg-
config not finding inputs), this by no means translates to "oh,
something's not found, let's propagate an input".  However, even for
those cases where they have become accepted practice, we ought to look
for better solutions, as proliferating propagations do end up biting us
in the form of conflicts.

The only instance in which propagated inputs behave as intended is with
meta packages; there they are even slightly less clunky than their
alternative (union builds).

As for the actual problem at hand, the solution has already been
pointed out by Florian: wrapping commands to bind
GDK_PIXBUF_MODULE_FILE.  Sadly, Florian didn't point these unwanted
side effects of propagation, as contributors are often unaware of them.

Cheers