#1140627 freecad: Please drop build-dependency against libmedc-dev (med-fichier)

Package:
src:freecad
Source:
src:freecad
Submitter:
Gilles Filippini
Date:
2026-06-26 08:07:01 UTC
Severity:
normal
#1140627#5
Date:
2026-06-23 19:12:50 UTC
From:
To:
Hi,

I'd like to RM[1] med-ficier as its current version in unstable / testing
is not maintained anymore, and the new major release does not seem ready
for packaging.

[1] https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1139324

This could be done using these cmake flags:

    -DBUILD_FEM:BOOL=OFF \
    -DBUILD_BIM:BOOL=OFF \
    -DBUILD_MESH_PART:BOOL=OFF \
    -DBUILD_FLAT_MESH:BOOL=OFF \
    -DBUILD_OPENSCAD:BOOL=OFF \

I can't find a way to keep current medf-fichier building against HDF5
2.1.0, and last time I looked at the med-fichier 5.x sources I fled in
horror.

Do you think this is feasible? Or maybe you'd prefer giving a try at
packaging med-fichier 5.x?

Please tell me what you think.

Best regards,
_g.
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#1140627#10
Date:
2026-06-23 19:28:37 UTC
From:
To:
Hi Gilles

thanks for reaching out.

Disabling those workbenches would be a major regression, those are
important parts of FreeCAD… Indeed, that would cripple FreeCAD...

Please close your RM bug.
#1140627#15
Date:
2026-06-23 20:25:10 UTC
From:
To:
Hi Tobias,

Tobias Frost a écrit le 23/06/2026 à 21:28 :

I can understand that. I was surprised to have to disable all these
features just to drop the Salome meshing format.

I opened this RM bug because I thought there wasn't any reverse
dependency. I didn't find any actually. My search request was wrong
obviously. Sorry about that.

med-fichier 4.1.0 is not compatible with HDF5 > 1.10 and I've had to
fiddle with its source code to circumvent their HDF5 version checks in
order to keep it into Debian along HDF5 1.14.

I reached med-fichier's upstream in 2024 and they told me about a 5.0.2
release for HDF5 1.12 and a future 6.0.0 supporting HDF5 1.14.

I gave up after a look at a 5.0.2 source tarball they gave me which
supported HDF5 1.12 only while I was already working on HDF5 1.14.

I won't spend more of my spare time on this package. Do you want to
maintain it? You would be welcome. Please tell me.

Thanks,
_g.
#1140627#20
Date:
2026-06-24 13:17:27 UTC
From:
To:
Closing this premature RM bug for med-fichier as it obviously needs
further discussion.
_g.

Gilles Filippini a écrit le 23/06/2026 à 22:25 :
#1140627#23
Date:
2026-06-26 08:05:14 UTC
From:
To:
You can query dak [1] to check for reverse dependencies:

ssh mirror.ftp-master.debian.org "dak rm -Rn med-fichier"

[1] documented here: https://wiki.debian.org/ftpmaster_Removals
in
5.0.2

Let me suggest to "RFA" or "Orphan" the package, that'd be better than
just removing it IMHO. 
Said, that sure, I can take a look, but will be a little bit until I'll
find time for it.