From: "Ulrich Müller" <ulm@gentoo.org>
To: gentoo-dev@lists.gentoo.org
Cc: "Ulrich Müller" <ulm@gentoo.org>
Subject: [gentoo-dev] [PATCH] glep-0083: New section "Support for EAPIs by package managers"
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2025 19:07:13 +0200 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20250619173354.22787-1-ulm@gentoo.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <uh60b3aci@gentoo.org>
Signed-off-by: Ulrich Müller <ulm@gentoo.org>
---
glep-0083.rst | 46 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
1 file changed, 43 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
diff --git a/glep-0083.rst b/glep-0083.rst
index 3b538ee..25d64a7 100644
--- a/glep-0083.rst
+++ b/glep-0083.rst
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ Type: Informational
Status: Active
Version: 2
Created: 2022-06-30
-Last-Modified: 2024-09-08
-Post-History: 2022-07-11, 2022-07-31, 2024-08-30, 2024-09-01
+Last-Modified: 2025-06-19
+Post-History: 2022-07-11, 2022-07-31, 2024-08-30, 2024-09-01, 2025-06-19
Content-Type: text/x-rst
---
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ more predictable.
Specification
=============
+Use of EAPIs in the Gentoo repository
+-------------------------------------
+
A *deprecated EAPI* is no longer required for the upgrade path of
users' systems. Its use is discouraged, and tools like pkgcheck will
warn about this [#COUNCIL-20130409]_.
@@ -50,7 +53,23 @@ The Gentoo Council will ban a deprecated EAPI when
* 24 months have passed since its deprecation, and
* it is used by fewer than 5 % of ebuilds in the Gentoo repository.
-EAPIs used in profiles are outside the scope of this GLEP.
+EAPIs used in profiles are outside the scope of this section.
+
+
+Support for EAPIs by package managers
+-------------------------------------
+
+Package managers may drop (or omit) support for an EAPI only when all
+of the following conditions apply:
+
+* The EAPI was deprecated at least 10 years ago,
+* it has not been used by any ebuild in the Gentoo repository
+ for the past 5 years, and
+* it has not been used by any profile in the Gentoo repository
+ for the past 2 years.
+
+It is recommended that unmerging of old packages be supported
+indefinitely.
Rationale
@@ -83,6 +102,24 @@ in question. This requirement is defined to help keep the number of
ebuild updates (and bug reports requesting them) manageable, as a
banned EAPI is sufficient reason for updating an ebuild.
+Similar considerations apply to support of EAPIs by package managers.
+Supporting legacy EAPIs imposes ongoing maintenance costs;
+accumulation of EAPI-specific conditionals makes the code harder to
+read and maintain. Also, unused code paths tend to "bit rot" and see
+less testing over time. Notably, at the time of writing, EAPIs 0 to 2
+are broken in Portage [#BUG-875353]_.
+
+Conversely, removing support for an EAPI from the package manager can
+be disruptive for users. Unofficial overlays and private repositories
+often continue using older EAPIs long after their removal from the
+main tree. Therefore, the timeline for dropping package-manager
+support is more generous than that for use of EAPIs in repositories.
+
+Finally, dropping unmerge support could block upgrades of outdated
+systems. Therefore, unmerging of packages with legacy EAPIs should
+stay supported indefinitely unless there is a compelling technical
+reason for its removal.
+
Example
=======
@@ -142,6 +179,9 @@ References
Gentoo Council meeting summary 2009-11-09
(https://projects.gentoo.org/council/meeting-logs/20091109-summary.txt)
+.. [#BUG-875353] Bug 875353 - EAPI 0 ebuilds won't pass QA because ${ED}
+ variable is empty and read only (https://bugs.gentoo.org/875353)
+
.. [#PMS-PROJECT] Gentoo Package Manager Specification project
(https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:Package_Manager_Specification#EAPI_life_cycle)
--
2.50.0
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2025-06-19 17:35 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 6+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2025-06-19 17:33 [gentoo-dev] GLEP 83 update: Support for EAPIs by package managers Ulrich Müller
2025-06-19 17:07 ` Ulrich Müller [this message]
2025-06-26 3:54 ` [gentoo-dev] [PATCH] glep-0083: New section "Support for EAPIs by package managers" konsolebox
2025-06-26 5:19 ` Eli Schwartz
2025-06-26 13:48 ` Sam James
2025-06-26 16:25 ` Ulrich Müller
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