Re: src and xsrc merge proposal

[maya%NetBSD.org@localhost]

On Fri, Feb 21, 2020 at 11:27:25AM +0100, Kamil Rytarowski wrote:
> On 21.02.2020 05:56, Constantine A. Murenin wrote:
> > Additionally, the whole idea of importing close to a gigabyte of stuff
> > into the base repository just seems a little strange, to say the least. 
> > Shouldn't we instead be looking into moving xsrc into pkgsrc?
> > 
> 
> My proposal to move xsrc to src instead of pkgsrc might look
> unreasonable, but we will need to accept the fact that almost all ports
> won't be able to get (build) functional X anymore. But maybe it's the
> proper time to make this hard decision as usability of X on 1-bit
> framebuffers is extremely limited.
> 
> We tend with our workforce to be behind versions in xsrc and provide
> incomplete xsrc's components anyway (there are missing Mesa libraries,
> essential to wayland compositors).
> 
> If you want to make this decision, please convince core@. I support this
> proposal.
> 

Here are some counter points against using modular xorg:

Update in xsrc:
create xserver.old, gradually switch platforms after they are tested.

pkgsrc:
creating a package.old doesn't work because pbulk will pick the newer
one. see how lang/mono6 has broken mono for SmartOS, even though
lang/mono is a working version.

pkgsrc:
- allows commits tested on only one platform. so if someone updates
  because newer X works for them on linux, and completely breaks it on
  netbsd, this is still allowed to avoid discouraging contributors.
- only has quarterly branches. the odds that you can have working Xorg
  for netbsd-7 which is still supported are low.
- Opinionated patches are discouraged, only upstreamable or mandatory
  ones are allowed, in the name of maintainability. NetBSD currently
  builds mesa with statically linking llvm to avoid shipping libLLVM,
  since it's backwards incompatible. pkgsrc will be against this idea
  because that is not what the upstream build does.

pkgsrc will have to improve for NetBSD for to not be a regression.
And this is before starting to talk about cross-compilation.