Weird: `mpv` appeared in my apps list, uninvited [EDIT: Explained now.]

Librem Phones (Librem 5)
1

Just now I noticed that mpv Media Player appeared on my home screen, seemingly out of nowhere.

  • I just flashed to Byzantium a few days ago, so my file system should be completely fresh.
  • I don’t recall installing mpv.
  • I don’t think it was included in the default apps.
  • It’s not officially adaptive to the screen anyway.
  • To find it by searching from the PureOS store app, you have to enable “Show incompatible applications.”

I did install it once, briefly, for testing purposes months ago, when I was still on Amber. I then uninstalled it.

And then there’s this little tidbit from the store:

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Is it possible that my file system retained mpv data from my Amber days and just decided to reactivate?
Did mpv get installed as part of some process I ran? (I had just run glxgears -fullscreen for @Quarnero.)
Did it come bundled with some other app I installed after the reflash to Byzantium? (Lollypop, Feeds, GNOME Screenshot, Power Statistics, What IP, Firefox-ESR, Nemo, AisleRiot…?)
Did I just tap it by accident from the software search page? (I don’t think so.)

Anyone have a clue?

P.S. At any rate, I don’t see how this app could be used on the L5. Isn’t it necessary to drag a file or url onto its screen in order to play it?

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if you do “apt-get install” always add “–no-install-recommends” or you get sometimes recommended, but not needed packages installed

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I just found this link: https://screenshots.debian.net/package/mpv.

02_Screenshot2022-02-12
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As shown by using this Internet link (on my laptop) it offered me to install this app over Software. I didn’t proceed at this moment as already have it installed (but don’t use it):
apt list mpv -a
Listing… Done
mpv/stable,now 1:0.33.1-dmo2+deb11u1 amd64 [installed,automatic]
mpv/stable 0.32.0-3 amd64
04_Screenshot022-02-12 15-20-01
04_Screenshot022-02-12 15-20-01738×380 8.54 KB

Just do not know much about mpv app, other than obvious it belongs to GNOME environment.

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This one is installable from byzantium repo, on Librem 5 over sudo apt install.

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I wonder if these settings in the PureOS Store app have something to do with it:

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(I’ve turned them off now.)

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And now I’ve suddenly got Screen Recorder, Icon Browser, and Contacts Importer, although those might have tagged along when I installed Screen Shot, since some of them were part of Librem5-goodies package.

At least, I don’t think these were part of the default Byzantium install. :man_shrugging:

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You can try to track what and when any packages were installed in /var/log/apt/history.log*

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Thanks! I forgot about that.
It seems mpv was installed with Lollypop.
And I see Librem5-goodies in the log from today, so that explains the other ones.
Nothing to see here, I guess… :man_shrugging: :slightly_smiling_face:

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Not sure but (probably not related to Incompatible Applications): “For Gnome Desktop, there’s a ‘Software & Updates‘ utility. You can open it and navigate to “Other Software” tab to manage third-party apt repositories.”

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This seemed weird, but turns out…

lollypop:

Recommends: youtube-dl

youtube-dl:

Recommends: aria2 | wget | curl, ca-certificates, ffmpeg, mpv | mplayer, python3-pyxattr, rtmpdump

It’s not a hard dependency, so you can safely uninstall it if you don’t want it.

It’s my go-to player when launching from CLI. I have it on my L5 as well, makes it easy to play something via ssh :wink:

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