[Assist] Minitube: No available API keys

bill-auger bill-auger at peers.community
Thu Apr 9 18:45:29 GMT 2020


this has come up multiple times over the years - it is the
same situation in other distros - IMHO minitube is not a very
good program - aech time this issue is raised, i have suggested
discarding it; but others wanted to keep it, just in case
someone wants to use it

Félicien raises a good point though: that if the program
strongly suggests (or requires) acquiring an API key,
that should be possible to do without running non-free
javascript, or else it is unfit for the FSDG

i dont know if it is possible to get an API key without running
non-free javascript - generally, users should never need to
acquire an API key for any software - those are traditionally
"developers keys" for the software developers to acquire on
behalf of it's users - the appropriate place to handle that is
upstream; but the upstream does not - parabola could acquire an
API key, and hard-code it in for all users, as the upstream does
with their binaries - originally, minitube would launch normally
without an API key, but the search feature would fail, with no
indication of why - as i remember though, it was able to play
videos if you entered the URL; so the search feature was
non-essential - i reported that as a bug to debian some years ago
- at that time debian already had a youtube API key to enable
that same functionality in totem, and i believe that i convinced
them to re-use that key for minitube, though i dont remember
following up on it

the upstream "fixed" that problem by adding a warning modal,
asking users to acquire an API key or to use the upstream
binary; but that is a lousy solution IMHO - normally, the
upstream hard-codes their developer's API key into the software
so that it functions OOTB "as it says on the tin"; but usually
the remote service is something that software users would have
no use for otherwise - because in this case, that remote service
is youtube, this upstream has made the unconventional decision
that each user should acquire their own developers key

FWIW, this was my suggestion to debian, and i still hold this
opinion:

  it [the warning] is a fallback feature which in essence says
  to the user: "your distro maintainer erroneously provided you
  with a broken binary - please download a replacement from the
  upstream website" - in my opinion, the minitube binary package
  should be removed from debian unless a valid API developer key
  is built into the binary so that the program will function
  out-of-the-box as intended by the upstream and as expected by
  users

even if we keep it though, it has a few very annoying features
that need to be patched out:

* the first thing one sees when launching the program is the
auto-updater prompt like: "this program is out-dated, click here
to upgrade" - we dont want that - users should never be asked to
install software from any third party, even if it is freely
licensed

* after that, the next thing one sees is a modal that insists
either entering an API key, or (again) "download this program
from the developer's website" - in that state, there is no way to
dismiss the modal, or to close the program - i had to kill it
forcefully

if people want to use a program like this, we should probably
consider adding the hyperbola 'hypervideo' program - it uses the
invidio.us API, and requires no special action upon users


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