Disaster strikes - SeaMonkey removed from ports tree

Since a few days SeaMonkey 2.53.8 Beta 1 is out: https://www.seamonkey-project.org/releases/2.53.8b1

So I thought "let's check that", and: the existing build process failed. The existing was leaned on how Firefox etc. does its build. Finally I switched the build process from gmake -f client.mk over to the usual way of building Mozilla based applications: the mach commands. Here we go:

https://jmos.net/software/freebsd.rvt
https://jmos.net/download/ports-20210603.tar.gz

Inside the archive you'll now find a second SeaMonkey port filed under "betatests/seamonkey". Note that if you already got the "old" port installed you will have to use "make reinstall" instead on "make install" (as it's the same port, but nothing more like an update); First I thought of using different names and different directories for beta versions, but: I want to simply switch over when SeaMonkey 2.53.8 will be released.

To say it clear: This is beta software. Also the brand new build process is beta. For me it works rock solid as before, but who knows… I've also set up a RSS Feed, so you can easy get informed on further updates.
 
screen.png

Just a small test with an upload by SeaMonkey (screenshot 3440x1440px, 500kB, PNG). Works as expected. Works on other platforms, too. But there are many crude implementations out there on the websites side when it comes to file uploads… (f.e. handicrafts or browser switches instead of using standards). I also wouldn't exclude network topics when the smartphone works.
 
cabriofahrer said:
So when can we expect this to be in the ports, more or less?
Click to expand...
As long as SeaMonkey needs Python 2.7 to compile that won't be possible. Getting rid of Python 2.7 already is a goal for the SeaMonkey project, but I wouldn't expect fast results.

And actually I'm just thinking of "maybe a binary package, too" (amd64 only), and really not of becoming an official FreeBSD port maintainer; So maybe someone else will have to step in.
 
I don't understand why SeaMonkey was removed from ports because of Python 2 build dependency, while Chromium was allowed to stay. I mean, both are web browsers and equally useful, aren't they?
 
bsduck said:
I don't understand why SeaMonkey was removed from ports because of Python 2 build dependency, while Chromium was allowed to stay. I mean, both are web browsers and equally useful, aren't they?
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Python 2.7 wasn't the reason (that's just a no-go when it comes to adding new ports), but at that time it was said that SeaMonkey had for a long time no updates. And that was true.

It was said that a browser without updates is irresponsible. And it was speculated that the project surely won't get back on its feet again, and the next update would already been outdated on the release date (means: it was known that the development of SeaMonkey still was alive). A few weeks later the updates arrived, but SeaMonkey was already deleted.

There's also somewhere a official discussion that says it's not funny to carry SeaMonkey along two Firefoxes and Thunderbird, as some parts differ. SeaMonkey simply wasn't loved by the people doing the port maintenance. My interpretation: They wanted to get rid of it. And that's okay. But:

In such cases other ports just get the state "unmaintained". Other unmaintained ports are only deleted if they don't build anymore; But as long they do: You'll get a notice that a) it's unmaintained and b) may contain security issues. But in case of SeaMonkey, just telling the user these facts seemed not to be an option…

I didn't notice such a pitiful port deletion of any other port before. And I agree to you: Different measures are used.
 
bsduck said:
That's a correct argument (we can also argue it's the user's responsibility to use a secure and up to date browser for serious business) but then why not delete www/otter-browser (uses a WebKit engine from 2016) or www/dillo (current release is from 2015).
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Because they are at the newest release level.
SeaMonkey port had become stale. 1.5 years old with no updates. We were out of sync with base SeaMonkey.
Those two ports you cite are up to date (version-wise).
The key is are there vulns?
When SeaMonkey was yanked it had a bunch of vulns.
I was using it at the time and did not feel affected.
But I do understand the ports-manager decision. It was grounded in documented vulns.
That don't mean I liked it.
 
Phishfry said:
… I do understand the ports-manager decision. …
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?

I was similarly understanding when Waterfox was removed. I did what I could post-removal, but things became too complex for me (and I didn't want to stretch the former maintainer's goodwill) so I quietly switched to Firefox.

I was a happy occasional user of SeaMonkey. Mainly the WYSIWYG HTML editor (I forget its name), which I sometimes used to help plug the gaps in usability of LANDESK.

ivosevb said:
www/seamonkey: remove port
Click to expand...

cgit views of the deathbed and removal commits: <https://cgit.freebsd.org/ports/commit/?id=89f2a5adcd49e8f9b56c3d515d874920f407ab43> and <https://cgit.freebsd.org/ports/commit/?id=b603533eedd71ceae1278a37111b65219bba3dd6>

History (thirty-three pages): <https://www.freshports.org/www/seamonkey/#history>
 
jmos said:
There's also somewhere a official discussion that says it's not funny to carry SeaMonkey along two Firefoxes and Thunderbird, as some parts differ.
Click to expand...
Well, I think that Seamonkey users will not use Firefox and Thunderbird when they use Seamonkey. But still, it is a pity to have lost it.
grahamperrin said:
I was a happy occasional user of SeaMonkey. Mainly the WYSIWYG HTML editor (I forget its name)
Click to expand...
"Composer". And yes, the program was quite nice. So why was that not continued as standalone version like Firefox or Thunderbird?
 
I'm getting an error during build. I think you might be missing a dependency in the port Makefile?

Code: 
 1:24.27 checking for pango >= 1.22.0 pangoft2 >= 1.22.0 pangocairo >= 1.22.0... no
 1:24.27 ERROR: Package pango was not found in the pkg-config search path.
 1:24.27 ERROR: Perhaps you should add the directory containing `pango.pc'
 1:24.32 ERROR: to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable
 1:24.32 ERROR: Package 'pango', required by 'virtual:world', not found
 1:24.32 ERROR: Package 'pangoft2', required by 'virtual:world', not found
 1:24.32 ERROR: Package 'pangocairo', required by 'virtual:world', not found
 1:24.34 *** Fix above errors and then restart with\
 1:24.34                "./mach build"
 1:24.35 gmake[1]: *** [client.mk:109: configure] Error 1
*** Error code 2

Full log here: https://pkg.ent.morante.net/poudrie...01h11m16s/logs/errors/seamonkey-2.53.10_1.log
 
I just built it on my laptop for the first time since March build. FreeBSD 12.2p6 and it went fine.
Ran portsnap fetch extract first.

I see you are running poudriere. Have you updated the ports tree there?
 
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