Re: [gentoo-dev] Re: [gentoo-web-user] Hardened PHP now in Gentoo

[Olivier Crete <tester@gentoo.org>]

> On Wed, May 19, 2004 at 01:30:00PM +0200, foser wrote:
>> On Tue, 2004-05-18 at 21:08 +0100, Stuart Herbert wrote:
>>
>> > I'm pro-choice, and do not agree with the idea of aggregating USE
>> > flags just  because they sound similar.
>>
>> The second time you mention choice. I guess we know what Gentoo is
>> about by now, the 'choice' argument is too often used just to end
>> criticism.
>>
>> Choice is an illusion, if you there's too much choice it is no use to
>> anyone anymore, because nobody really knows what it is all about. This
>> is already the case with the loads of USE flags/portage options/etc.
>> we have. Gentoo shouldn't be about choice for the sake of it, it
>> should be about simplicity/managability : stuff that works. It's a
>> trade-off.
>>
>> I wasn't too happy with the introducation of local USE flags for just
>> the reasons that are becoming a problem now. Too much flags, everybody
>> adds them at will without good reasons. We used to just say to people
>> who wanted a specific (rare) set-up that they could easily edit the
>> ebuild themselves to their need, but nowadays it seems we have to hold
>> hands all the time and add complexity for nothing. That's good for
>> nobody really. The installation manual used to be like 5 pages, by now
>> it's a book of it's own per arch. I don't think that's a good thing
>> and we should be really, really careful about what we can do to stop
>> this movement.
>>
>> - foser
>
> The users seem to be perfectly happy with having a maximum of choice
> via  local USE flags. Most people are also okay with the handbook. So
> what's  the problem, exactly? Should we force everyone to do what _you_
> want  rather than what _they_ want?

There is at least one other guy who thinks that the handbook has gotten
way too long (me)...And foser is right on choice, too much is worst that too little, because
you end up not being able to find out howto where to configure stuff..
Gentoo is all about choice and choice is good.. But I dont want to have to
go thourhg 800 use flags before I can install a gentoo system.. I used to
be able to run ufed and set all of the use flags that I wanted for a
system... I tried doing that yesterday.. the list has just gotten out of
proportion.

-- 
Olivier Crete
tester@gentoo.org
Gentoo Developer



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