From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 4.0.0 (2022-12-14) on finch.gentoo.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.2 required=5.0 tests=DATE_IN_PAST_12_24, INVALID_DATE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,NO_RELAYS autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=4.0.0 Received: from drobbins by cvs.gentoo.org with local (Exim 3.30 #1) id 15Mus2-00078D-00 for gentoo-dev@cvs.gentoo.org; Wed, 18 Jul 2001 11:12:22 -0600 From: Daniel Robbins To: gentoo-dev@cvs.gentoo.org Subject: Re: [gentoo-dev] Suggestion: DONT_USE flags Message-ID: <20010718111222.E27122@cvs.gentoo.org> References: <01071814294000.00590@localhost> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.2.5i In-Reply-To: <01071814294000.00590@localhost>; from danarmak@gentoo.org on Wed, Jul 18, 2001 at 02:29:40PM +0300 Sender: gentoo-dev-admin@cvs.gentoo.org Errors-To: gentoo-dev-admin@cvs.gentoo.org X-BeenThere: gentoo-dev@cvs.gentoo.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.0 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: gentoo-dev@cvs.gentoo.org List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Gentoo Linux development list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Date: Wed Jul 18 11:13:01 2001 X-Original-Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 11:12:22 -0600 X-Archives-Salt: b2d5a221-bc96-47ce-a695-0d3edc71f46a X-Archives-Hash: 1ea85102e98bda6449622a5363ffd7f4 On Wed, Jul 18, 2001 at 02:29:40PM +0300, Dan Armak wrote: > A worse situation: there is no smpeg USE flag. I have 4 options: > 1. Force usage of smpeg. > 2. Use smpeg if it's already installed. > 3. Never use smpeg. > 4. Create a USE smpeg flag. > > Option 4 I dismiss. If we create USE flags for every shared library and util > which might possibly be used by another package, there will be a hundred > falgs or more and a user won't be able to take time to understand the meaning > of each and decide on setting it or not. The solution is to use option 4. As soon as I have the dev team reorganized, I'll be adding some much-needed USE upgrades to portage. In addition to allowing USE categories, the new USE behavior will allow certain options to be "on by default". This will allow the system profile to set "media(smpeg)" on automatically, and it will even be enabled if the user doesn't have "media(smpeg)" in his USE variable in make.conf. If he wants to disable it, he'll need to explicitly type "-media(smpeg)". This will allow us to hide a lot of complex USE variables from the end-user and keeping the difficult USE work in the system profile. This way, novice users are much less likely to accidentally disable critical components by accidentally deleting a USE variable from make.conf. > There seems no reason to do option 3. Option 2 might seem to be a good > default, but what about option 1? Is there any good reason not to use smpeg, > if it takes only 20 mins to d/l and install and adds important functionality? > If there is, we should create a DONT_USE smpeg flag :-) It is fine to force the use of a particular package as long as an overwhelmingly large percentage of the people would want such functionality built-in. But, if it's simply an optional component that some people may not want, it should be configured via a USE variable. Best Regards, -- Daniel Robbins President/CEO http://www.gentoo.org Gentoo Technologies, Inc.