Bug#1090394: gdm-settings: should this package be in Debian?

[Jeremy Bícha]

Source: gdm-settings
Version: 4.4-1
Severity: serious
Tags: trixie sid
X-Debbugs-CC: tar at debian.org

I am uncomfortable with the app gdm-settings and worry that it may be
unsupportable in Debian.

If the only thing the app did was set some gsettings values for the
gdm user, that sounds safe enough to me. But I believe the app also
hacks the GDM binary theme files. My instinct is that doing that could
break the login screen on updates to new versions of GNOME Shell/GDM.

For comparison, Ubuntu does tweak the GDM theme also but it does it
using the Debian alternatives system which allows it to be easily
undone. And Ubuntu has committed to support the changes it makes and
ensure that upgrades work smoothly.

gdm-settings has no provision for undoing its changes when it is uninstalled.

Included in version 5 which we don't have in Debian yet is a new first
run warning that basically confirms my suspicions that the app allows
unsafe changes. See
https://github.com/gdm-settings/gdm-settings/pull/267/files

The app appears to not work in Debian. The app includes basic
functionality to try to recognize the Debian-gdm user but maybe it
does not do enough there. See
https://github.com/gdm-settings/gdm-settings/issues/275

I believe the original Uploader for gdm-settings in Debian has said
they would rather not maintain the package any more. I'm unwilling to
commit to maintaining the package either. I propose that we remove the
package from Debian.

Thank you,
Jeremy Bícha