[gentoo-amd64] Re: Re: recommended USE flags

["Duncan" <1i5t5.duncan@cox.net>]

Simon Stelling <blubb@gentoo.org> posted 44DDCE59.5000901@gentoo.org,
excerpted below, on  Sat, 12 Aug 2006 14:49:29 +0200:

> Duncan wrote:
>> What's actually
>> needed is a use.local.desc that includes all packages with all flag
>> listings and a description of what each does in each package. 
> 
> We already have that documentation.. It's just not written in english
> but in bash ;)

In some cases, yes.  However, take that pan example.  The ebuild makes the
dependency on libgnome clear, but it doesn't say the only thing that
dependency does is allow pan to use the browser configured for gnome. 
That's a pretty major entanglement for the benefit, particularly when one
can simply set the $BROWSER var instead, as an alternative.

(BTW, the basis of that example is changing.  Looks like Charles is going
back to having a pan preferences config entry for it.  The point still
stands, tho.  That's an awful big dependency for a relatively small
benefit, and while the ebuild says gnomelib, it says nothing about what
the gnomelib dependency actually /does/.)

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman

-- 
gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list