Re: [gentoo-dev] Unmasking modular X

[Ciaran McCreesh <ciaranm@gentoo.org>]

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On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 23:33:32 -0800 Donnie Berkholz
<spyderous@gentoo.org> wrote:
| > What's wrong with the original idea of just making any unported
| > ebuild pull in all of modular X (minus drivers)? Yes, it means that
| > some people will pick up unnecessary deps until all packages are
| > ported, but it avoids anyone having to see flashy red errors.
| 
| The problem with that is that it removes all motivation to ever port
| the packages. They'll just stay that way forever, where forever means
| "until I threaten to remove that from the virtual," in which case
| we'll be in the same scenario we are now. Why? Because people have
| better things to do than fix stuff that isn't broken.

Ok. So... As far as I can see:

* There is a clean upgrade solution available that will result in
non-ported packages merely pulling in a load of extra unnecessary
packages (that non-modular users have anyway).

* The clean solution visibly illustrates that a package is unported.
Users who are running ~arch can clearly see this, and can file bugs and
(if they care) attempt a --nodeps installation. The bugs can be picked
up by the package maintainers or the volunteers on this list.

* The clean solution is the solution originally proposed to this list,
and the reason we are using new style virtuals.

* There is an alternate upgrade solution that means that any users who
have an unported package will get their screen filled with several
pages of incomprehensible bright red crap.

* There are currently enough unported packages that many ~arch users
will probably have one or two installed (assumption: many users have
several utterly random non-mainstream packages installed).

* Despite your original assurances to this list, you intend to go ahead
and take the alternate solution, which will lead to one of the most
user visible and hardest to fix breakages we've ever had.

* You are doing this because you believe that it is better to get every
package ported over extremely quickly rather than having the odd
package with extra unnecessary listed dependencies, and you do not
consider the impact upon our users to be relevant.

Is my understanding correct?

-- 
Ciaran McCreesh : Gentoo Developer (King of all Londinium)
Mail            : ciaranm at gentoo.org
Web             : http://dev.gentoo.org/~ciaranm


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