Re: [PATCH 0/5] git-gui: workaround deprecation of Tcl/TK 8.5 in macOS

From: Carlo Arenas <carenas@gmail.com>
Date: Jul 30, 2025, 20:51 UTC
Message-ID: <CAPUEspiP+Xoz_W-X4QrStAFS1BqSF4pws7d6dxaf6m0OeLtM_w@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <xmqqtt2tl9yw.fsf@gitster.g>

On Wed, Jul 30, 2025 at 1:06 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:

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>
> Carlo Marcelo Arenas Belón <carenas@gmail.com> writes:
>
> > This series adds improvements to allow running `git-gui` in macOS, which is
> > stuck in an ancient version of Tcl/TK that is no longer supported by git.
>
> A naïve question.
>
> Just like Git is a third-party software from macOS's point of view,
> wouldn't Tcl/Tk be equally a third-party software, or is it more
> ingrained to the base operation system offering for some reason?

It is more ingrained as Tcl/Tk comes with the OS as a Framework, although one that hasn't had updates for half a decade, and that prints a message saying it is deprecated and might be gone in a future release for several releases, when it works.

git comes as part of the "Development tools" (both the command line that is independent of Xcode and as part of Xcode) and therefore must be installed independently.

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> The reason why I ask this question is because I do not see how it
> would make it a lot more hassle having to upgrade the version of
> tcl/tk on their macOS machine than having to upgrade the Git to the
> version that ships with this change, from an end-user's point of
> view.

Not sure I understand the question, but "upgrading" is not the problem.

Users can (and had been doing for a while) install a newer version for both but the Makefile that comes with git-gui tries to find the system provided Tcl/Tk and use that, which IMHO makes little sense once the git-gui codebase is no longer compatible with the version provided by that Framework.

Carlo