Dear all, I've been spending a bit of time walking through the Portage code so that I could have a better idea of what goes on when one types "emerge" or "ebuild". I've put together enough information that I decided it was worth making it public, at http://www.gentoo.org/~g2boojum, although I by no means guarantee the validity of any of my statements there (especially true since portage is a moving target). Please feel free to e-mail me with any errors, additions, or corrections you might have. Best, g2boojum -- Grant Goodyear