I am handling a project with GTK + libraries using Arch Linux. A recently released security update for a core GTK+ library is causing compatibility challenges with my project’s dependencies.
Turned out the maintainers of those dependencies have not made an update that would allow them to work well with the new library version. The dependencies are broken and it seems as if I am stuck because I can’t update the library.
Anyone faced such issues that third party library would lag on rolling release distribution? Is there a way to go about to solve this? Insights needed please.
A few tips that might help you navigate through this:
Downgrade the Library: Temporarily downgrade the GTK+ library to the previous version that worked with your dependencies. Arch Linux’s package manager, pacman, supports downgrading via the Arch Linux Archive (ALA). Use sudo pacman -U followed by the package URL from the ALA.
AUR and ABS: Check the Arch User Repository (AUR) for potentially updated versions of your dependencies that might not have made it to the official repositories yet. Additionally, the Arch Build System (ABS) can be used to manually build and install a package version compatible with your project.
Contact Maintainers: If possible, reach out to the maintainers of the broken dependencies to inquire about an update timeline. Sometimes, maintainers are unaware of the issue until it’s reported.
Patch Yourself: If you’re comfortable, consider patching the dependencies yourself to work with the new library version. This could involve modifying source code and compiling the package manually.
Virtual Environment: As a last resort, setting up a virtual environment or container (like Docker) with the necessary dependencies fixed at working versions could allow you to bypass system-wide dependency conflicts until a more stable solution arises.
These situations are not uncommon in rolling releases. The flexibility and cutting-edge nature of distributions like Arch come with the need for occasional manual intervention. Hopefully, one of these approaches may help you move forward with your project.