policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

johnraff · 2023-07-01 03:19:43

policykit-1-gnome, despite its name, has little to do with gnome these days: it's a standalone app that puts up the password prompts when you want to perform a system action as root, like opening gparted or installing a .deb file with gdebi. An agent like this is pretty much essential for a graphics-based desktop.

Unfortunately it's been abandoned upstream for some years, and it looks as if Debian are going to drop it from Trixie:
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrepo … bug=990271
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrepo … bug=990259

The only Debian packages which list dependencies on policykit-1-gnome are cinnamon related, but it looks as if XFCE might also be using it.
Here's a long discussion by Cinnamon developers, and others, in response to a heads-up from Debian dev Simon McVittie:
https://github.com/linuxmint/cinnamon/issues/10172
They finally decided to go on using policykit-1-gnome for now, but that will impinge on the Debian Cinnamon packages.

There are alternatives listed by the virtual package polkit-1-auth-agent, notably lxpolkit and lxqt-policykit.

I'm going to try out lxpolkit to see if it works as a replacement, but we could also wait a bit and see what the XFCE devs do about it. Anyway, this is something for Carbon, not Boron - unless we do a last-minute swap of lxpolkit for policykit-1-gnome...

hhh · 2023-07-01 03:45:46

I switched with no problem (on Boron). Install lxpolkit, then purge policykit-1-gnome. Comment out the policykit line in autostart and start lxpolkit with...

lxpolkit &

johnraff · 2023-07-01 05:42:47

Yup, working on my VM too.
A bit spartan compared with policykit-1-gnome but it does the job.
So we've got a way forward if nothing better comes up for Carbon.

DeepDayze · 2023-07-01 20:17:38

first tint2 now polkit1-gnome...seems a lot of things are falling by the wayside.

or1o9 · 2023-07-03 18:42:00

^Yes, mabye it is time to start thinking about some kind alternative to the present setup for Carbon or further ahead?

johnraff · 2025-01-16 03:27:44

Cinnamon seem to have added polkit dialogue function internally: https://github.com/linuxmint/cinnamon/pull/12059

DeepDayze · 2025-01-16 15:59:54

johnraff wrote:

Cinnamon seem to have added polkit dialogue function internally: https://github.com/linuxmint/cinnamon/pull/12059

Maybe something similar for Carbon or use the Mate PK agent?

johnraff · 2025-01-17 02:39:50

Right now, thinking about lxpolkit (seems to work OK but a bit old) or mate-polkit if the dependencies aren't too heavy.
I don't think digging the polkit code out of Cinnamon would be too easy.

manyroads · 2025-01-17 14:12:39

FWIW I can say I have used lxpolkit for years on debian without any difficulty (on all manner of wms). Only recently (on arch) have I encountered an AUR install bug with lxpolkit; it works fine but is less 'secure feeling' with the compile error(s).

I am now trying to see how well mate-polkit will work. Early results on arch (not debian) are very positive and hopeful. It acts like it's lightweight.

PackRat · 2025-01-20 19:22:11

Is there any indication that Debian will provide a vanilla polkit package (like Arch and Void have) by the time Trixie rolls out?

Head_on_a_Stick · 2025-01-20 19:30:38

The Arch polkit package just provides the backup textual pkttyagent, the graphical authentication agents are packaged separately, just as with Debian:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Polkit … ion_agents

EDIT: the equivalent Debian package would be polkitd, which is already used by BunsenLabs IIRC.

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2025-01-20 19:34:39)

PackRat · 2025-01-20 19:51:22

^ Thanks

I just checked on my system. Clean install of Debian upgraded to Sid. Xfce and labwc. It just has polkitd and some other polkit packages. I get the prompt for authentication when trying to run gparted -

is one of these DE-policykit packages even needed any more?

Edit - My mistake. The policykit-1-gnome package gets installed with the xfce desktop and is started with the session.

johnraff · 2025-01-21 00:51:25

PackRat wrote:

The policykit-1-gnome package gets installed with the xfce desktop and is started with the session.

So that's what xfce are using atm. I wonder what they have in mind for when it gets dropped from Trixie?
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrepo … bug=990271

PackRat · 2025-01-21 03:10:27

There is an xfce-polkit

https://github.com/ncopa/xfce-polkit

I thought it was abandoned too, but Void still uses it with an xfce4 install.

When I searched the Debian repos it didn't show up. Maybe it will get picked up.

Is it in backports?

johnraff · 2025-01-21 05:36:36

No trace of xfce-polkit anywhere in Debian:
https://packages.debian.org/search?suit … fce-polkit

It does appear in some web searches, but it's hard to tell how useful it is.
The last git commit was on Jun 21, 2022
https://github.com/ncopa/xfce-polkit/commits/master/
but the last changes to the actual code were in 2018.

johnraff · 2025-02-09 07:47:23

johnraff wrote:

Right now, thinking about lxpolkit (seems to work OK but a bit old) or mate-polkit if the dependencies aren't too heavy.

Installed mate-polkit in my VM and it brought in not much more than lxpolkit. It's better-looking than either lxpolkit or lxqt-policykit too.

manyroads wrote:

I am now trying to see how well mate-polkit will work. Early results on arch (not debian) are very positive and hopeful. It acts like it's lightweight.

Last edited by johnraff (2025-02-09 07:49:18)

unklar · 2025-02-09 13:38:42

I have been using lxpolkit since my first labwc installation and I think it was a 'recommendation' from @malm.

I really liked the simple entry in the 'autostart':

lxpolkit > /dev/null 2>&1 &

did the job.

manyroads · 2025-02-09 22:55:23

@johnraff I am still using mate-polkit and it is still chugging along perfectly. I think there a few options that will easliy work.

johnraff · 2025-02-10 01:08:48

Both lxpolkit and mate-polkit look like usable options, and both fairly light.
(Mate-polkit doesn't need an entry in autostart at all because it ships a .desktop file in /etc/xdg/autostart but that's a minor point.)

Mate-polkit uses gtk3 as opposed to gtk2 for lxpolkit and looks very similar to policykit-1-gnome.

Right now, I suggest replacing policykit-1-gnome with mate-polkit in the metapackage lists, and see how it goes.

hhh · 2025-02-11 05:18:31

johnraff wrote:

Right now, I suggest replacing policykit-1-gnome with mate-polkit in the metapackage lists, and see how it goes.

Agreed, the GTK3 update is a good point.

#1 2023-07-01 03:19:43

policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#2 2023-07-01 03:45:46

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#3 2023-07-01 05:42:47

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#4 2023-07-01 20:17:38

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#5 2023-07-03 18:42:00

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#6 2025-01-16 03:27:44

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#7 2025-01-16 15:59:54

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#8 2025-01-17 02:39:50

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#9 2025-01-17 14:12:39

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#10 2025-01-20 19:22:11

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#11 2025-01-20 19:30:38

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#12 2025-01-20 19:51:22

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#13 2025-01-21 00:51:25

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#14 2025-01-21 03:10:27

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#15 2025-01-21 05:36:36

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#16 2025-02-09 07:47:23

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#17 2025-02-09 13:38:42

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#18 2025-02-09 22:55:23

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#19 2025-02-10 01:08:48

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

#20 2025-02-11 05:18:31

Re: policykit-1-gnome is going from Debian

Board footer