Re: [gentoo-dev] Dependencies default to accept any slot value acceptable (:*), can we default to :0 instead?

[Tom Wijsman <TomWij@gentoo.org>]

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On Sun, 8 Dec 2013 21:01:00 +0100
Ulrich Mueller <ulm@gentoo.org> wrote:

> >>>>> On Sun, 8 Dec 2013, Rich Freeman wrote:
> 
> > Sure it does - it defaults to :* when :* was never specified. I
> > don't see how defaulting to :0= is a "policy" any more than :* is.
> 
> Defaulting to :* is just the long term behaviour from EAPIs 0 to 4
> when no slot operator was specified.

Which section in the PMS is this specified?

> This is consistent with what we haved for versioned dependencies.
> When you don't specify a version, then all versions are good.

Good idea.

> Similarly, when you don't specify a slot, then all slots are good.

Not so good idea; because if all slot would be good by default, then
why have slots in the first place? Are we using SLOT right at all?

> Our rules of slot/subslot dependencies and slot operators are just
> complicated enough, so I really would dislike complicating them even
> more by having an EAPI dependent default.

Is it complicated?

1. Dev changes to EAPI 6 on a revision or version bump.
2. Dev tests the ebuild.
2.a. It works; the ebuild defaults to depend on :0=.
2.b. It breaks, dev checks dependency; the ebuild now depends on :2=.
3. Dev commits.

The developer needs to be aware of new PMS versions; thus, given that
news is brought out about this the developer is aware of the change.

> In addition, from a package
> manager view there is nothing special at all about slot 0, so there's
> no reason to prefer it over other values.

In reality, we use it in a special way; it's time to make the resources
that we use reflect that and stop relying on unspecified behavior.

(Or change reality to match our resources; though, doing thousand of
commits compared to changing our resources might not be the way to go.)

-- 
With kind regards,

Tom Wijsman (TomWij)
Gentoo Developer

E-mail address  : TomWij@gentoo.org
GPG Public Key  : 6D34E57D
GPG Fingerprint : C165 AF18 AB4C 400B C3D2  ABF0 95B2 1FCD 6D34 E57D

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