rework / reduce installed packages in Qubes-Whonix

phabricator-migrator · February 19, 2024, 5:47pm

Information

ID: 429
PHID: PHID-TASK-bpwkah2pn4pcj2lqbgub
Author: Patrick
Status at Migration Time: resolved
Priority at Migration Time: Normal

Description

Introduction:

There are probably a few packages, that are useful or even required for a Non-Qubes-Whonix desktop, but that are unneeded in Qubes-Whonix. For example:

plasma-widget-folderview (user doesn’t get to see the desktop, unless in rare cases such as using VNC)
kde-kdm-autologin (Qubes already handles this)
…

latest anon-meta-packages debian/control file:

github.com

Whonix/anon-meta-packages/blob/master/debian/control

## Copyright (C) 2012 - 2023 ENCRYPTED SUPPORT LP <adrelanos@whonix.org>
## See the file COPYING for copying conditions.

Source: anon-meta-packages
Section: metapackages
Priority: optional
Maintainer: Patrick Schleizer <adrelanos@whonix.org>
Build-Depends: debhelper (>= 13), debhelper-compat (= 13)
Homepage: https://github.com/Whonix/anon-meta-packages
Vcs-Browser: https://github.com/Whonix/anon-meta-packages
Vcs-Git: https://github.com/Whonix/anon-meta-packages.git
Standards-Version: 4.6.2
Rules-Requires-Root: no

Package: whonix-shared-default-applications-gui
Architecture: all
Pre-Depends: legacy-dist
Depends: icon-pack-dist,
         msgcollector-gui,
         repository-dist-wizard,

This file has been truncated. show original

snapshot at time of writing of anon-meta-packages debian/control file:

github.com

Whonix/anon-meta-packages/blob/3f864c653c8fa751386ddd2aa39a7d265b1a89c1/debian/control

## This file is part of Whonix.
## Copyright (C) 2012 - 2014 Patrick Schleizer <adrelanos@riseup.net>
## See the file COPYING for copying conditions.

Source: anon-meta-packages
Section: misc
Priority: optional
Maintainer: Patrick Schleizer <adrelanos@riseup.net>
Build-Depends: debhelper (>= 9), faketime, genmkfile
Homepage: https://github.com/Whonix/anon-meta-packages
Vcs-Browser: https://github.com/Whonix/anon-meta-packages
Vcs-Git: https://github.com/Whonix/anon-meta-packages.git
Standards-Version: 3.9.6

Package: anon-shared-packages-dependencies
Architecture: all
Depends: console-common, initramfs-tools, os-prober, bzip2, file,
 lsof, most, pciutils, strace, sysfsutils, acpi-support,
 keyboard-configuration, less, kbd, haveged, locales, apt-transport-https,
 sdwdate, sdwdate-plugin-anon-shared-con-check,

This file has been truncated. show original

reasoning why package X is installed:

Technical background on Recommends: vs Depends::

TODO:

1. make a list of packages that are unneeded in Qubes-Whonix
1. refactor the #anon-meta-packages package to apply these changes

Comments

Patrick

2016-02-22 11:59:25 UTC

Patrick

2016-02-25 22:18:10 UTC

 split whonix-(gateway|workstation) packages

into:
- qubes-whonix-(gateway|workstation)
- non-qubes-whonix-(gateway|workstation)

The Qubes-Whonix version does not depend on the anon-shared-desktop package,
while the Non-Qubes-Whonix package does. This is to spare Qubes-Whonix users
from installing packages that are only required to set up a desktop environment
for Non-Qubes-Whonix users. (Qubes dom0 hosts these packages such as kdm etc.)

split whonix-(gateway|workstation) packages · Whonix/anon-meta-packages@fc23e40 · GitHub

Patrick

2016-02-25 22:22:45 UTC

Patrick

2016-03-21 11:53:39 UTC

Removed polkit-kde-1 as dependency from anon-shared-desktop-kde and added it to anon-shared-applications-kde.

polkit-kde-1 is important as long as Whonix is kde-ish, uses kdesudo, otherwise
leads to issues with kdesudo authentication.

This is required for a clean separation so the anon-shared-desktop-kde package
is no longer required to be installed by default on Qubes.

https://phabricator.whonix.org/T429

Removed polkit-kde-1 as dependency from anon-shared-desktop-kde and a… · Whonix/anon-meta-packages@c104856 · GitHub

Patrick

2016-03-21 12:03:22 UTC

removed anon-shared-desktop-kde from whonix-[gateway|workstation]-shared-packages-shared-meta

so it no longer gets installed by default in Qubes-Whonix.
And readded it to non-qubes-whonix-[gateway|workstation].

This results in no longer installing kde-workspace, kdm,
plasma-widget-folderview, kde-baseapps-bin in Qubes by default.

https://phabricator.whonix.org/T429

removed anon-shared-desktop-kde from whonix-[gateway|workstation]-sha… · Whonix/anon-meta-packages@2f67cb5 · GitHub

Patrick

2016-03-21 12:08:36 UTC

If someone else wants to think this through also…
apt-cache show kde-baseapps-bin
Probably alright.
apt-cache show kde-workspace
Mostly note able, we won’t be having installed by default anymore…

phonon

klipper (clipboard manager)

ksysguard (process monitor)

KDE systemsettings

If any of these should be re-added…

marmarek

2016-03-21 12:11:46 UTC

Patrick

2016-03-21 12:44:15 UTC