[jancsika]

> Searching for the error brought results about a wrong version

One of the bullet points from the Meson website:

> * fun!

So if I understand correctly, this modern build tool created to replace all the extant time-wasting build tools got memorialized in Debian in a half-baked state where it's not compatible with future versions.

Also-- the fact that you had to leave the hardened bank vault of apt through the screen door of pip... to install a thing to build other things to run on your system.

I love it.

> If so, why is it I so seldom can can get anything written for GJS, or Node, or a Python program not my own, to install and run without a three-hour yak shave?

... is the question that explains why Electron exists. Every comment on HN about its size, memory usage, and insecurity doubles as a critique of all the problems you just hit with a Linux system.

Electron: "Memory and disk space is cheap enough, but your time will never be."

[nemetroid]

It's worth mentioning in this context that the thing making Foliate difficult to build and run on older platforms is the fact that it's written in modern Javascript (and therefore needs a modern version of gjs): https://github.com/johnfactotum/foliate/issues/45

[JasonFruit]

I don't like Electron — I've brought some of my problems on myself by my love of using minimally-capable old hardware — but this is by far the best statement of the argument for it I've ever heard.

[lpcvoid]

I propose on building native tools that have all relevant libraries statically linked. Yeah, executable will grow in size, but it's the best of both world : portability, speed and not using javascript.