From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 25884 invoked by uid 1002); 21 Oct 2003 20:20:36 -0000 Mailing-List: contact gentoo-dev-help@gentoo.org; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Id: Gentoo Linux mail X-BeenThere: gentoo-dev@gentoo.org Received: (qmail 22638 invoked from network); 21 Oct 2003 20:20:35 -0000 From: Chris Gianelloni To: Stroller Cc: gentoo-dev@gentoo.org In-Reply-To: <893C9795-03ED-11D8-AF70-000A95795F3E@stellar.eclipse.co.uk> References: <1066483836.28203.13.camel@localhost> <4854.146.176.63.67.1066739940.squirrel@mail.codewordt.co.uk> <1066742146.10428.57.camel@localhost> <893C9795-03ED-11D8-AF70-000A95795F3E@stellar.eclipse.co.uk> Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="=-vqPlPROkdij+n0nKl/fM" Message-Id: <1066767790.31734.9.camel@localhost> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Ximian Evolution 1.4.5 Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 16:23:10 -0400 Subject: [gentoo-dev] Re: Use of USE flags..? Was: Re: [gentoo-dev] Enemy Territory ebuild X-Archives-Salt: f9436021-422b-4efc-bfb8-c10c3a8a06f6 X-Archives-Hash: 6b453bda7145b73df44bbba0489d7498 --=-vqPlPROkdij+n0nKl/fM Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Tue, 2003-10-21 at 13:39, Stroller wrote: > On Oct 21, 2003, at 2:15 pm, Chris Gianelloni wrote: > > > > I would definitely *not* use a USE flags at all, since a USE flag is=20 > > for > > adding or removing optional features from a package. If anything were > > to be used, it would be a FEATURE flag. >=20 > I am aware of the -devs attitude towards USE-flag bloat, and my=20 > original posting "you can never have too many USE flags" was intended=20 > as a joke (obviously a very poor one). However, from a user perspective=20 > USE flags are quite desirable - they keep all options in one place, I=20 > can `emerge -vp someapp` & easily use `ufed` to determine what each=20 > flag means & change it as required. However, a USE flag has a specific function and should stay that way to keep confusion down. There are already a few cases where USE flags are used to do things they shouldn't be. > You say that "a USE flag is for adding or removing optional features=20 > from a package", however I am not really clear what this means. My=20 > recent experimentation, for instance, with the prelinking & the "pic"=20 > USE flag seems to indicate that "-fPIC" will be added to the user's=20 > CFLAGS. But only, I think, if the package supports prelinking..? The -fPIC is actually used to enable PIC support in applications. For example, if you were to have -fPIC in your CFLAGS, there are some packages that will NOT compile. The pic USE flag is for enabling -fPIC in a way which is suitable to the package. It isn't just tacking "-fPIC" onto your CFLAGS and that's it. In many cases it requires patches to the source, which aren't needed when not compiling with -fPIC. > Having USE flags change CFLAGS seems to me to be non-intuitive, and I=20 > don't really see how a "patches" USE flag is any different from the=20 > existing "mmx", "oss", or (to be honest) any other USE flags. Let's take... a fictional game I would like to call GentooRulez.=20 GentooRulez can use mmx, but only if it is added on the ./configure line with a --enable-mmx. Otherwise, it builds without. This is the prime example of when to use the mmx USE flag. Now, a new version of GentooRulez comes out and you want to merge it using patches. You are wanting to tell PORTAGE itself to use patches.=20 It makes no changes to the actual configuration/build. FEATURES control portage itself. USE flags control the package compilation/install options. > Could someone be so kind as to explain when a USE flag should & should=20 > not be used, and what is the difference between USE flags & FEATUREs..? >=20 > Many thanks, >=20 > Stroller. --=20 Chris Gianelloni Developer, Gentoo Linux Games Team Is your power animal a pengiun? --=-vqPlPROkdij+n0nKl/fM Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name=signature.asc Content-Description: This is a digitally signed message part -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.3 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQA/lZWukT4lNIS36YERAkwnAJ9iddi59meVFqmQjwJkMgHUWyPqFQCfblDQ GXfKv3/4lslblPYRJVrrcqg= =TwJB -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --=-vqPlPROkdij+n0nKl/fM--