Remove D-Bus dependency

[probonopd]

Currently, if one removes libsystemd-dev, the build fails with meson.build:96:12: ERROR: Problem encountered: Failed to find an sd-bus provider, tried libsystemd, libelogind, basu.

sd-bus is a D-Bus IPC client library. An X11 server should not have a dependency on D-Bus, as X11 predates D-Bus by a long time, and D-Bus is not the only IPC protocol (even though it is being pushed by a certain Enterprise Linux company).

It needs to be found out why XLibre can't be built without a D-Bus library, and the offending code should be removed or made optional.

[probonopd]

It may be possible to build without D-Bus by configuring Meson with -Dsystemd_logind=false -Dsystemd_notify=false?

[stefan11111]

I have always built the X server without ever needing dbus.
This is the first time I hear that it has an optional dependency on dbus.

[probonopd]

Apparently it was put in by an employee of our favorite Enterprise Linux company 11 years ago to support systemd-logind (coincidentally also by the same Enterprise Linux company):

X11Libre/xserver@8286365

[wildstar84]

I second this request - I added an option to my modified (revived) version of the old AfterStep window-manager (that I currently use & have too much invested in to want to give up), hense my main interest in this project as I do NOT want to be forced onto Wayland & have to ditch my fav. window-manager for one of their "composters"! ;) I made it optional for users by adding the build-options: "--with-dbus1=no", and also "--with-gnome-session=no" for opting out of gnome session-mgmt. too. (https://github.com/wildstar84/afterstep)

[ghost]

Afaik there are some potential issues when running X without dbus. And it is not possible then to run it as another user than root.

[stefan11111]

Afaik there are some potential issues when running X without dbus. And it is not possible then to run it as another user than root.

I remember now.
Xorg can depend on elogind, which depends on dbus.

You can use suid/sgid bits so that Xorg has the permissions it needs to access your gpu(whatever /dev nodes are needed there) and access your keyboard/mouse, while you run it as your regular non-root user.

[probonopd]

To be clear, I'm not proposing to rip it out altogether - just make it opt in rather than opt out (and not use it as the baseline for test automation).

[wildstar84]

I use antiX (a Debian-based nosystemD/noelogind distro) & I have their current Xorg (v2:21.1.12-1.0nosystemd1) installed & running there running there w/o either of those 2 installed, you might wish to look at how they do it &/or work with them - https://antixlinux.com/ - they may also be willing to work with you. I mentioned in a forum thread there yesterday that they should look into this project b/c I suspect Debian will eventually drop X as well.

[reaperx7]

I say make it optional. Some packagers may still want it for permissions handling for session management. I don't have a problem with it, but if people don't want it, then have a flag for disabling it in the meson build script.

Let's not start playing rip and tear with the software. Leave things optional if people want them.

[metux]

Changing the default (probing logic is broken anyways):

X11Libre/xserver#161

After the release, we can talk about whether that stuff is needed at all.

[metux]

Since the core issue here was just a bad default and broken detection logic (which should be fixed by X11Libre/xserver#161) and the rest is more about long-term decisions, moving this into a discussion.

[callmetango]

Thank you for your contribution! We currently restructured the "Ideas" discussions and accordingly this discussion will be moved to the X11Libre 4 Good Ideas For Later category.