Re: MPS and pgtk

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:38:06 +0200
> From: Ergus <spacibba@aol.com>
> Cc: Aleksandr Vityazev <avityazev@disroot.org>, emacs-devel@gnu.org, 
>       Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>, eller.helmut@gmail.com
> 
> On Wed, Jun 26, 2024 at 06:38:03PM GMT, Gerd M�llmann wrote:
> >Aleksandr Vityazev <avityazev@disroot.org> writes:
> >
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> I tried to build scratch/igc with the "--with-pgtk" flag
> >> got the following errors:
> >>
> >> make[3]: Leaving directory 
> >> '/tmp/guix-build-emacs-igc-31.0.50-0.544e031.drv-0/source/admin/unidata'
> >>   CCLD     temacs
> >> ld: pgtkterm.o: in function `mark_pgtkterm':
> >> /tmp/guix-build-emacs-igc-31.0.50-0.544e031.drv-0/source/src/pgtkterm.c:357:
> >>  undefined reference to `mark_object'
> >> ld: 
> >> /tmp/guix-build-emacs-igc-31.0.50-0.544e031.drv-0/source/src/pgtkterm.c:358:
> >>  undefined reference to `mark_object'
> >> ld: 
> >> /tmp/guix-build-emacs-igc-31.0.50-0.544e031.drv-0/source/src/pgtkterm.c:359:
> >>  undefined reference to `mark_object'
> >> ld: 
> >> /tmp/guix-build-emacs-igc-31.0.50-0.544e031.drv-0/source/src/pgtkterm.c:360:
> >>  undefined reference to `mark_object'
> >> ld: 
> >> /tmp/guix-build-emacs-igc-31.0.50-0.544e031.drv-0/source/src/pgtkterm.c:361:
> >>  undefined reference to `mark_object'
> >> ld: 
> >> pgtkterm.o:/tmp/guix-build-emacs-igc-31.0.50-0.544e031.drv-0/source/src/pgtkterm.c:369:
> >>  more undefined references to `mark_object' follow
> >> collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status
> >>
> >> The remaining configuration flags were as follows:
> >> --with-mps=yes
> >> --with-cairo
> >> --with-modules
> >> --with-native-compilation=no
> >> --disable-build-details
> >
> >Looks like pgtk is currently not supported, i.e. apparenlty no one
> >working on igc is using it, sorry.
> >
> This is wondering me because all the main distributions/desktops are
> moving (or have already moved) to Wayland.

Which is bothersome, at least from the Emacs POV, since Wayland and
PGTK have so many limitations, restrictions, and misfeatures which
effectively disable useful Emacs features.

> So, IMHO the pgtk support may be prioritized as it is the only way we
> support Wayland natively.
> 
> Not sure if there are plans or alternatives under consideration to
> change/improve pgtk, but if igc becomes an issue for it... we may
> rethink if we really want it looking to the future?

Given the sorry state of Wayland and GTK support of what Emacs needs,
from my POV the PGTK configuration becomes less and less relevant to
Emacs.  I'm aware that the world moves in the opposite direction, but
unless we get some help from Wayland/GTK developers, or,
alternatively, find ways to work around those limitations (unlikely,
IMNSHO), there's nothing we can do about this, and nothing we could
gain by "rethinking".  If you care about these platforms, start
lobbying the respective development teams to cater more for Emacs and
its needs.

Sorry.