Current State of Pale Moon for Linux and the Future
Posted: 2019-09-30, 10:59
Alright you Linux people. Time for some updates.
As you may have read in an unrelated post. Travis is alive and ok and he will return eventually and likely slowly over time. So that is a relief. However, it does mean you are stuck with me as interim Linux Team Leader until that happens.
So here is the current state of Pale Moon for Linux..
Linux 32bit: Pale Moon for Linux mainline (generic) builds for 32bit linux systems are good to go as some may have observed in an earlier thread. Our build is now targeting more legacy systems that have at a minimum of the last GTK2 and glibc 2.12 and other system requirements contemporary to the last 10 years or so built on CentOS 6.x with GCC 4.9. This will be maintained until AT LEAST November 30th, 2020 at which time the build environment (CentOS 6) support ends. After which it is very likely that we will be ending production of Linux 32bit builds.
Any potential 32bit builds that could be produced on a newer platform would raise the glibc version too high for the bulk of users who enjoy the 32bit builds we produce. Now.. Let me state for the record that this will NOT affect the buildablity of targeting 32bit in the codebase and despite GCC 4.9's already "dead" status we will NOT be removing support for it either. All reasonable effort will be made to ensure that you as well as system distribution packagers may create 32bit builds of any UXP Application. We just won't be producing one after next year. To this end, I am personally gonna relax my position on helping users roll their own build for 32bit systems. KEEP IN MIND this is still OVER a year away and unless something changes by then this is the plan of what is going to happen.
Current Linux 64bit: Nothing is going to change with this build except it will be specifically designated as a GTK2 build going forward. It will maintain the minimum requirements that it currently has (at least glibc 2.17 etc) and continue to be built on CentOS 7 and be compiled with GCC 7 (maybe 8 later). Oh and if you want a date put on it? Then it is June 30th, 2024.
NOW FOR THE FUN BIT (assuming the linux 32bit people don't have me executed).. The GTK3 build of Pale Moon.
I want your input on what should be done about the GTK3 build of Pale Moon that I plan to produce and add to our offerings. Specifically, you cutting edge and modern linux distro/version users.. What is your current glibc version.. As well as, should it use latest GCC version that produces a good and stable build? Specifically, and assuming a viable environment can be setup, DO you want this to be targeted at current systems or do you want it to target newer generations of systems. Specifically, should I build it on CentOS 7 like the GTK2 build is or should I build it on CentOS 8 which is approx equivalent of Fedora 29 era systems?
You are the ones who are going to be using it.. So what do you think?
(Please don't make this thread a linux 32bit bitch fest..)
As you may have read in an unrelated post. Travis is alive and ok and he will return eventually and likely slowly over time. So that is a relief. However, it does mean you are stuck with me as interim Linux Team Leader until that happens.
So here is the current state of Pale Moon for Linux..
Linux 32bit: Pale Moon for Linux mainline (generic) builds for 32bit linux systems are good to go as some may have observed in an earlier thread. Our build is now targeting more legacy systems that have at a minimum of the last GTK2 and glibc 2.12 and other system requirements contemporary to the last 10 years or so built on CentOS 6.x with GCC 4.9. This will be maintained until AT LEAST November 30th, 2020 at which time the build environment (CentOS 6) support ends. After which it is very likely that we will be ending production of Linux 32bit builds.
Any potential 32bit builds that could be produced on a newer platform would raise the glibc version too high for the bulk of users who enjoy the 32bit builds we produce. Now.. Let me state for the record that this will NOT affect the buildablity of targeting 32bit in the codebase and despite GCC 4.9's already "dead" status we will NOT be removing support for it either. All reasonable effort will be made to ensure that you as well as system distribution packagers may create 32bit builds of any UXP Application. We just won't be producing one after next year. To this end, I am personally gonna relax my position on helping users roll their own build for 32bit systems. KEEP IN MIND this is still OVER a year away and unless something changes by then this is the plan of what is going to happen.
Current Linux 64bit: Nothing is going to change with this build except it will be specifically designated as a GTK2 build going forward. It will maintain the minimum requirements that it currently has (at least glibc 2.17 etc) and continue to be built on CentOS 7 and be compiled with GCC 7 (maybe 8 later). Oh and if you want a date put on it? Then it is June 30th, 2024.
NOW FOR THE FUN BIT (assuming the linux 32bit people don't have me executed).. The GTK3 build of Pale Moon.
I want your input on what should be done about the GTK3 build of Pale Moon that I plan to produce and add to our offerings. Specifically, you cutting edge and modern linux distro/version users.. What is your current glibc version.. As well as, should it use latest GCC version that produces a good and stable build? Specifically, and assuming a viable environment can be setup, DO you want this to be targeted at current systems or do you want it to target newer generations of systems. Specifically, should I build it on CentOS 7 like the GTK2 build is or should I build it on CentOS 8 which is approx equivalent of Fedora 29 era systems?
You are the ones who are going to be using it.. So what do you think?
(Please don't make this thread a linux 32bit bitch fest..)