Ubuntu
system-config-printer package

Demote python3-smbc to a Suggests

Bug #1552868 reported by Barry Warsaw
8
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
system-config-printer (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
High
Till Kamppeter
Ubuntu ubuntu-16.04

Bug Description

system-config-printer-common is the last package keeping Python 2 on the default desktop image. Even though s-c-p has been ported to Python 3, it has a transitive dependency on Python 2 through python3-smbc -> libsmbclient -> samba-libs -> libpython2.7

The problem is that upstream Samba is lagging behind in porting to Python 3, and that clearly won't happen before 16.04. Therefore, in order to drop Python 2 from the images, we need to demote python3-smbc from a Depends to a Suggests.

This has implications for users who want to connect to Windows printers out of the box. They clearly won't be able to after this. They would have to install python3-smbc in order to do this.

You might take a look at deja-dup which hands this by showing a button that installs the necessary package via PackageKit (in vala, but it also shouldn't be hard to do it in Python). It's not ideal, but it makes it obvious that there's some extra stuff needed in order to install a Windows printer. You could display this button only if `import smbc` fails. I don't know how prominent Windows printers are for Ubuntu users, but ISTM that most network printers should expose IPP or other non-Windows specific protocols these days.

https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/foundations-x-python3-only

Revision history for this message
Barry Warsaw (barry) wrote :

modified debian/control
@@ -9,8 +9,9 @@ X-Python-Version: >= 3.0

 Package: system-config-printer-common
 Architecture: all
-Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${python3:Depends}, python3-cups (>= 1.9.60), python3-smbc, python3-dbus, python3-cupshelpers
+Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${python3:Depends}, python3-cups (>= 1.9.60), python3-dbus, python3-cupshelpers
 Recommends: system-config-printer-udev, avahi-utils
+Suggests: python3-smbc
 Conflicts: system-config-printer, system-config-printer-kde (< 0.09ubuntu1)
 Replaces: system-config-printer, system-config-printer-gnome (<< 1.3.11+20120807-0ubuntu7)
 Description: Printer configuration GUI

Changed in system-config-printer (Ubuntu):
milestone: none → ubuntu-16.04
assignee: nobody → Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)
importance: Undecided → High
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package system-config-printer - 1.5.7+20160212-0ubuntu2

---------------
system-config-printer (1.5.7+20160212-0ubuntu2) xenial; urgency=medium

  * debian/patches/50_newprinter-support-smb-printer-setup-without-samba-installed.patch:
    Allow the setup of SMB printers also when no Samba client software is
    installed. Install the software as soon as it is needed for browsing
    the network and using the printer.
  * debian/patches/47_installpackage-return-only-if-installation-complete.patch:
    When installing a package via installpackage.py let the installing
    methods only exit when the package is completely installed.
  * debian/control: Demoted python3-smbc from Depends: to Suggests:,
    it pulls in the Python2 stack, as Samba is not yet fully migrated
    to Python3 (LP: #1552868).

 -- Till Kamppeter <email address hidden> Mon, 7 Mar 2016 22:06:14 -0300

Changed in system-config-printer (Ubuntu):
status: New → Fix Released
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