From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 4.0.0 (2022-12-14) on finch.gentoo.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.0 required=5.0 tests=DMARC_MISSING, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,NICE_REPLY_A autolearn=unavailable autolearn_force=no version=4.0.0 Received: from c007.snv.cp.net (h014.c007.snv.cp.net [209.228.33.242]) by chiba.3jane.net (Postfix) with SMTP id D6C43AC4BB for ; Thu, 18 Apr 2002 21:43:08 -0500 (CDT) Received: (cpmta 25570 invoked from network); 18 Apr 2002 19:43:07 -0700 Received: from 64.34.192.49 (HELO silver.perimeter) by smtp.directvinternet.com (209.228.33.242) with SMTP; 18 Apr 2002 19:43:07 -0700 X-Sent: 19 Apr 2002 02:43:07 GMT Subject: Re: [gentoo-dev] LibPNG Problems -- good example of Gentoo inherent stability From: Fuper To: gentoo-dev@gentoo.org In-Reply-To: <1019092373.32100.1.camel@inventor.gentoo.org> References: <1019092373.32100.1.camel@inventor.gentoo.org> Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Ximian Evolution 1.0.3 Date: 18 Apr 2002 21:56:43 -0500 Message-Id: <1019185004.2935.33.camel@silver.perimeter> Mime-Version: 1.0 Sender: gentoo-dev-admin@gentoo.org Errors-To: gentoo-dev-admin@gentoo.org X-BeenThere: gentoo-dev@gentoo.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.6 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: gentoo-dev@gentoo.org List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Gentoo Linux developer list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: X-Archives-Salt: c7751657-39ed-465e-a15c-9e793a2d840f X-Archives-Hash: 38b2be6e071d28be13e9dd982db0ad46 On Wed, 2002-04-17 at 20:12, Daniel Robbins wrote: > I'd recommend that people who don't want to have the latest and greatest > versions of everything (and everything that goes with it), don't use > --update with emerge. That should help you avoid most problems. We are > still devising a good distributed QA system, but that hasn't been added > to Portage yet :) IMHO very little change is needed in Portage --- the libpng conflict was not a show stopper as it might be in a binary-based Linux distrib. Thinking about my experience with the somewhat time-consuming but relatively straight-forward re-compilation from sources that was required to update my Gentoo system after encountering a conflict over a basic library, and my experiences with horrible messes on Redhat and Debian systems that simply left some applications (KDE!) unuseable for a while (waiting for developers to create on their computers new sets of binaries that ANY user can create for himself on a Gentoo system) I've concluded that a source-based distribution like Gentoo is inherently stable. Sure, we stress it, but THAT is the goal --- to make a distribution that acknowledges and takes advantage of the wonderful chaos of Linux's multiple, independently developed streams of software. Actually I'd be a heck of a lot more interested in SHRINKING and SIMPLIFYING Portage and merging it with a boot loader such that the boot loader could recover a functional operating system onto an empty hard drive entirely off the net, entirely from sources. Then shrink the boot loader onto a BIOS chip, and then convert unsaved computers to Linux by popping a new EEPROM onto each motherboard, .....