fails to start if HAL not installed

[sascha_silbe]

Read fails to start if HAL is not installed:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/sascha.silbe/sugar-jhbuild/install/bin/sugar-activity", line 21, in <module>
    main.main()
  File "/home/sascha.silbe/sugar-jhbuild/install/lib/python2.5/site-packages/sugar/activity/main.py", line 159, in main
    create_activity_instance(activity_constructor, activity_handle)
  File "/home/sascha.silbe/sugar-jhbuild/install/lib/python2.5/site-packages/sugar/activity/main.py", line 37, in create_activity_instance
    activity = constructor(handle)
  File "/home/sascha.silbe/sugar-jhbuild/install/share/sugar/activities/Read.activity/readactivity.py", line 257, in __init__
    self._topbar = TopBar()
  File "/home/sascha.silbe/sugar-jhbuild/install/share/sugar/activities/Read.activity/readtopbar.py", line 185, in __init__
    _TopBar.__init__(self)
  File "/home/sascha.silbe/sugar-jhbuild/install/share/sugar/activities/Read.activity/readtopbar.py", line 139, in __init__
    '/org/freedesktop/Hal/Manager')
  File "/usr/lib/pymodules/python2.5/dbus/bus.py", line 244, in get_object
    follow_name_owner_changes=follow_name_owner_changes)
  File "/usr/lib/pymodules/python2.5/dbus/proxies.py", line 241, in __init__
    self._named_service = conn.activate_name_owner(bus_name)
  File "/usr/lib/pymodules/python2.5/dbus/bus.py", line 183, in activate_name_owner
    self.start_service_by_name(bus_name)
  File "/usr/lib/pymodules/python2.5/dbus/bus.py", line 281, in start_service_by_name
    'su', (bus_name, flags)))
  File "/usr/lib/pymodules/python2.5/dbus/connection.py", line 630, in call_blocking
    message, timeout)
dbus.exceptions.DBusException: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name org.freedesktop.Hal was not provided by any .service files

HAL has been ​deprecated by its own authors so we shouldn't rely on it. It also won't be available in chroots which makes testing Read much harder.

[FrancisCofC]

I have confirmed this. I was running the sugar emulator and could not open Read. As soon as I installed Hal with the Synaptic Package Manager I could open Read.

[sascha_silbe]

There's a ​patch to fix this, but the new Read maintainer is still too busy to review and merge it. A ​code review by someone else might speed up the process.

[sascha_silbe]

Has been fixed as part of ​5832d4df.