Re: [gentoo-dev] Optional Package Dependencies for netscape-flash -> libflashsupport

["Olivier Crête" <tester@gentoo.org>]

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On Fri, 2007-11-05 at 13:19 -0600, Jim Ramsay wrote:
> Olivier Crête wrote:
> > On Fri, 2007-11-05 at 12:12 -0600, Jim Ramsay wrote:
> > > Josh Saddler wrote:
> > > > Jim Ramsay wrote:
> > > > > I suppose I could also propose:
> > > > > 
> > > > > 4) netscape-flash just RDEPENDS on libflashsupport all the time.
> > > > > It's certainly not a large library to be added on.
> > > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > That is a terrible idea. Don't make it "depend" on something that
> > > > it clearly does *not* depend on. Flash works just fine without the
> > > > optional add-ons, and those are *definitely* optional. I've never
> > > > needed libflashsupport and would prefer not seeing useless cruft
> > > > attached to a perfectly working Flash installation.
> > > 
> > > Point taken - If you don't want the extra features you don't want
> > > libflashsupport at all.
> > > 
> > > I could make it so that if all of the USE flags for libflashsupport
> > > are turned off it doesn't actually install the library at all, just
> > > gets added to the list of installed packages.
> > > 
> > > > If you're going to add it to USE, then make sure it's *not* on by
> > > > default, thanks.
> > > 
> > > This way it will adhere to your current set of global USE flags. If
> > > you have pulseaudio, esd, oss, ssl, or gnutls on globally, it will
> > > install libflashsupport with the appropriate hooks in it.  If they
> > > are all off (either globally or specifically for libflashsupport)
> > > you will just get the same old netscape-flash with no add-ons.
> > > 
> > > Is this a worthy compromise?
> > 
> > This seems even worse.. I think either having one local use flag in
> > netscape-flash is probably the best solution.. The second best is to
> > have all of the use flags and RDEPEND on flash-support if any is
> > enabled.
> 
> Can you explain what you mean by "even worse"?  I think my latest
> solution is more correct than any of the others yet proposed.  In fact,
> here's another small improvement on it:
> 
> Have netscape-flash with IUSE="vanilla" (by default it is off), which
> when enabled will not pull in libflashsupport.

flashsupport should be disabled by default. I still think you should add
a positive use flag to netscape-flash (call it flashsupport or or a
combination of esd/ssl/gnutls/etc).

> This meets the following goals:
> 
> 1) It makes it easy for "regular" users to get netscape-flash with any
> additions required by any global USE flags in exactly one step:
>  - emerge netscape-flash
> This is my #1 goal, otherwise I'd just have 'libflashsupport' as its
> own separate package and those "in the know" would install it
> separately if they want any of the extra features. But users should not
> have to have special knowledge to get the features they have already
> enabled in their global USE flags.
> 
> 2) It makes it easy for "power" users to not have libflashsupport
> actually install anything by disabling all the USE flags.  This will
> take 3 steps:
> - Notice at upgrade or install time that there's this new 'extra'
> package being installed
> - Enable the 'vanilla' flag for netscape-flash
> - Continue with upgrade or install
> 
> Also, having all of the ssl/gnutls/pulseaudio/esd/oss flags turned off
> for libflashsupport will have the effect of not actually installing the
> library, so the only added cost there is one more entry in the list of
> installed packages, which I hope you will agree is basically zero.

Installing a package without really installing it is EVIL. The db should
represent whats installed on the system, otherwise it will become very
very confusion for users.

-- 
Olivier Crête
tester@gentoo.org
Gentoo Developer

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