Goodbye Dependency Bloat, Hello Simplicity. We're excited to announce significant improvements to the indicator-datetime that make your desktop experience cleaner and more efficient. After careful consideration and community feedback, we've removed the dependencies on Evolution Data Server (EDS) and the legacy message-menu library. This represents a major step forward in creating a leaner, more maintainable codebase.

What's Changed?

🔧 Removed Dependencies

Evolution Data Server (EDS): No longer required for the datetime indicator

Legacy message-menu library: Replaced with more modern solutions

Associated daemons: Cleaner system processes without unnecessary background services

🚀 The Benefits

Reduced System Load Without the Evolution Data Server daemons, 4 to be exact (evolution-source-registry, evolution-calendar-factory, evolution-addressbook-factory and evolution-alarm-notify), running in the background, you'll enjoy:

• Lower memory usage, and less ~200mb storage
• Fewer background processes
• Faster startup times
• Reduced complexity for troubleshooting

Streamlined Codebase The removal of these legacy dependencies means:

• Easier maintenance for developers
• Better compatibility across different system configurations
• Cleaner architecture for future enhancements

Sunsetting the Appointments Feature

With the removal of EDS, we've also made the decision to drop the appointments feature from the datetime indicator. This wasn't an easy decision, but it was a necessary one for several reasons:

Why We Removed Calendar Integration?

1. The landscape of calendar services has evolved dramatically. Most users now rely on comprehensive cloud-based solutions:

   • Google Calendar (used by over 1 billion people)
   • Microsoft Outlook/Exchange
   • Apple Calendar
   • Other enterprise and personal cloud solutions

2. Maintenance Burden: Supporting a lightweight calendar feature meant maintaining compatibility with evolving standards and security requirements that are better handled by dedicated applications.

Conclusion

Sometimes, progress means removing what's no longer needed to make room for what matters. By streamlining the indicator-datetime, we're creating a more efficient, maintainable, and user-focused experience. We believe this change represents the Unix philosophy of doing one thing well, rather than many things inadequately.

We're excited about this cleaner foundation and what it enables for the future of Unity desktop. As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback as we continue to refine and improve the desktop experience.

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Have thoughts about these changes? Join the discussion on our community forums or contribute to the project on Gitlab.