=== State of GNOME 44

Links: +
link:https://www.gnome.org/[GNOME] URL: link:https://www.gnome.org/[] +
link:https://codeberg.org/olivierd/freebsd-ports-gnome[Development repository] URL: link:https://codeberg.org/olivierd/freebsd-ports-gnome[]

Contact: FreeBSD GNOME Team <gnome@FreeBSD.org> +
Contact: Olivier Duchateau <duchateau.olivier@gmail.com>

GNOME is a full desktop environment which is mainly based on GLib, GTK3/GTK4, and libadwaita.
It provides two window managers or compositors: package:x11-wm/mutter[] and package:x11-wm/metacity[].

Currently in the ports collection, package:x11/gnome-shell[] is not supported by upstream anymore.
As it is a lot of work, in order to have GNOME 44 available for users, I decided to split this update, because it impacts several ports.

As a maintainer of package:x11/budgie[] and Pantheon desktop (a window manager based on package:x11-wm/mutter[], developed for link:https://elementary.io/[elementary OS]) I need more recent versions of some GNOME libraries.

Firstly I worked on WebKitGTK.
The 4.0 "legacy" API is almost not used by GNOME's libraries.
The bare minimum is the 4.1 API.
I created [.filename]#webkit.mk# for the [.filename]#Mk/Uses# framework, in order to _flavorize_ package:www/webkit2-gtk3[].
There is an link:https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=275914[ongoing effort], but currently it is too unstable.
Often applications such as Epiphany, mail clients (Geary, Evolution), or the online accounts panel in package:sysutils/gnome-control-center dump core.

Nonetheless, remainder of desktop is usable and the latest release (44.7) of GNOME Shell is functional.
I have begun sending my first patches for review (as well as those in Bugzilla).

* link:https://reviews.freebsd.org/D43183[D43183]
* link:https://reviews.freebsd.org/D43230[D43230]
* link:https://reviews.freebsd.org/D43244[D43244]
* link:https://reviews.freebsd.org/D40489[D40489]

I have also ported the link:https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/GnomeFlashback[GNOME Flashback] session module.
It depends on package:x11-wm/metacity[] and package:x11-toolkits/libwnck3[].

I also maintain a link:https://codeberg.org/olivierd/freebsd-ports-gnome/wiki[documentation], and we can link:https://codeberg.org/olivierd/freebsd-ports-gnome/src/branch/screenshots[see] various desktops available.

GNOME 45 is almost finished, except for GNOME Shell extensions.
For this release I will focus on Wayland support (link:https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=258042[bug #258042] and link:https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=271836[bug #271836]).

Tests and patches are welcomed, especially for WebKitGTK.

Next months I plan to work on:

* Allowing selecting a session in display manager (gdm), it is regression with our patches.
* Fixing sharing network (VNC, SSH) panel in package:sysutils/gnome-control-center[] and backport for link:https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=275900[bug #275900].
* Continuing to update applications and libraries for GNOME 45.
