Why dependency on samba

Support & Help Requests
#1

I posted this on AskUbuntu without any helpful response -- except a couple downvotes. Anyway maybe it's more a MATE question. Why the dependency of the mate-desktop with samba???

What is the purpose of samba. I have been thinking it is a file sharing protocol for Microsoft file systems. Is this presumption incorrect or has samba been brought inappropriately into general system files?

For example :

I use NFS and SSHFS for my remote shares. What do I lose by

 apt purge *samba*

Trying it out I get :

 The following packages will be REMOVED:
   gvfs-backends* libsmbclient* mate-desktop-environment-core* mpv*
   python3-samba* samba-common* samba-common-bin* samba-libs* 
   smbclient*

I see in this list a few items whose dependency on samba is questionable.

#2

This is a bit wide question.

The exact samba package is the SMB/CIFS server, but you have asked APT to remove *samba*, which includes some Samba-related libraries for client-side parts.

For example it is a bad idea to allow removal of gvfs-backends. This will end with losing SMB/CIFS support in Caja file-manager (fork of Nautilus) and other related applications. In current heterogeneous world I think that it is a bad idea as SMB/CIFS is most cross-platform file-transfer protocol for NASes and computers.

By removing of smbclient you will lose the console functionality for SMB/CIFS shares.

But removing of mate-desktop-environment-core is almost safe as it contain only 4 non-essential files.

So I would suggest to keep all *samba* components at their places.

--- Note: I wrote this answer on AskUbuntu too.

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#3

Thank you. Why do I need SMB/CIFS in Caja?

I'm going to run a purge in a VM and see what happens.

Ah yee haww!!!

#4

Not to judge, but what is wrong with having it there in the first place Stephen?

#5

Nothing wrong in a functional sense of course, but it strikes me as sloppy. When I was doing code evaluations unnecessary coupling was one of my peeves. If it's easy enough to pluck it out or even just peel it off then I want to do that. However it is likely that the samba libraries are so highly coupled that extricating the functionality we're using would amount to a re-write. So...

I don't want to make a fuss about it. We're fortunate to have what we have and I am grateful for that fortune and for all those hard working people who make it possible. So all in context.

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