zulip/zulip-mobile

Remove rsync dependency

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#4,824 opened on Jun 22, 2021

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a-Windows-deva-toolshelp wanted

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Description

The rsync dependency (which we use to build the static assets for the webview) causes significant trouble for Windows users. We frequently get support requests from users who have not correctly installed rsync and are confused about why the project fails to build.

We're not doing anything super special with it:

    rsync -aR --no-D --delete --delete-excluded \
          "${src}/./" "${_dest}/." \
          --filter='. -'

So it probably make sense to just replace that command with something else (likely from coreutils) that does a similar thing.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Investigate alternatives to rsync, such as using cp with find or a Python script, that work cross platform (including Windows) and replicate the required behavior (recursive copy with deletion and filters). Test the replacement on multiple platforms.
Tech stack
javascriptshell
Domain
build systemdevops
Issue type
Refactor
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
GitShell scripting
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60