[gentoo-dev] Add more local USE flags

[gentoo-dev] Add more local USE flags

[Dmitry Bashkatov]

Hello, gentoo devs! I have a little story about USE flags.
Almost every package in gentoo has USE flags. Many of them have clear
meaning. For example: <doc> builds package documentation, <qt> or
<gtk> build GUI frontend. Meaning of this flags is one for all
packages in portage. And this is described in use.desc file. But there
are many USE flags with fuzzy meaning. For example <java> USE flag of
package net-print/cups. What does it mean? Description file says "java
- Adds support for Java". But what kind of support is it? Build Java
bindings or build some optional tools written on Java? <python> flag —
"Adds support/bindings for the Python language" also doesn't asks on
my question about kind of support. Only ways to find out answer are
read ebuild and "./configure --help" or use other sources of
information like google. But this takes time. Very very many time when
installing system first time. Also this work already done by package
maintainer and there is no reason to repeat this for every user.

My suggestion is to take out all this per package USE flag vagueness
to use.local.desc file, so you can use
$ equery uses net-print/cups
+ + java   : build java printing web-application
+ + python : build python bindings to libcups
This is only example, I really don't know what this flags mean here. =)
Another my suggestion is to extend ebuild format so package maintainer
can easily add use flag description.

What can you say about this? May be this is my delirium? And may be
only my gentooic brain need this sort of information about USE flags.

Re: [gentoo-dev] Add more local USE flags

[Samuli Suominen]

On 03/18/2010 02:39 PM, Dmitry Bashkatov wrote:
> Hello, gentoo devs! I have a little story about USE flags.
> Almost every package in gentoo has USE flags. Many of them have clear
> meaning. For example: <doc> builds package documentation, <qt> or
> <gtk> build GUI frontend. Meaning of this flags is one for all
> packages in portage. And this is described in use.desc file. But there
> are many USE flags with fuzzy meaning. For example <java> USE flag of
> package net-print/cups. What does it mean? Description file says "java
> - Adds support for Java". But what kind of support is it? Build Java
> bindings or build some optional tools written on Java? <python> flag —
> "Adds support/bindings for the Python language" also doesn't asks on
> my question about kind of support. Only ways to find out answer are
> read ebuild and "./configure --help" or use other sources of
> information like google. But this takes time. Very very many time when
> installing system first time. Also this work already done by package
> maintainer and there is no reason to repeat this for every user.
> 
> My suggestion is to take out all this per package USE flag vagueness
> to use.local.desc file, so you can use
> $ equery uses net-print/cups
> + + java   : build java printing web-application
> + + python : build python bindings to libcups
> This is only example, I really don't know what this flags mean here. =)
> Another my suggestion is to extend ebuild format so package maintainer
> can easily add use flag description.
> 
> What can you say about this? May be this is my delirium? And may be
> only my gentooic brain need this sort of information about USE flags.
> 

This is already supported by metadata.xml local use flags, you can add
extended information as local use flag in addition to global use flag.

So I take this as a friendly reminder that maintainers should start
using the feature.

-Samuli

Re: [gentoo-dev] Add more local USE flags

[Dmitry Bashkatov]

> This is already supported by metadata.xml local use flags, you can add
> extended information as local use flag in addition to global use flag.
>
> So I take this as a friendly reminder that maintainers should start
> using the feature.
>
> -Samuli

It's cool! I did not know about this feature.
Is there a user friendly way to read this information from
metadata.xml? It seems that euse reads only use.desc and
use.local.desc.

Re: [gentoo-dev] Add more local USE flags

[Samuli Suominen]

On 03/18/2010 03:07 PM, Dmitry Bashkatov wrote:
>> This is already supported by metadata.xml local use flags, you can add
>> extended information as local use flag in addition to global use flag.
>>
>> So I take this as a friendly reminder that maintainers should start
>> using the feature.
>>
>> -Samuli
> 
> It's cool! I did not know about this feature.
> Is there a user friendly way to read this information from
> metadata.xml? It seems that euse reads only use.desc and
> use.local.desc.
> 

use.local.desc is automatically generated from metadata.xml files, so
it's the same thing

Re: [gentoo-dev] Add more local USE flags

[Dmitry Bashkatov]

2010/3/18 Samuli Suominen <ssuominen@gentoo.org>:
> On 03/18/2010 03:07 PM, Dmitry Bashkatov wrote:
>>> This is already supported by metadata.xml local use flags, you can add
>>> extended information as local use flag in addition to global use flag.
>>>
>>> So I take this as a friendly reminder that maintainers should start
>>> using the feature.
>>>
>>> -Samuli
>>
>> It's cool! I did not know about this feature.
>> Is there a user friendly way to read this information from
>> metadata.xml? It seems that euse reads only use.desc and
>> use.local.desc.
>>
>
> use.local.desc is automatically generated from metadata.xml files, so
> it's the same thing
>
>

Thanks for your answers

Re: [gentoo-dev] Add more local USE flags

[Thomas Kahle]

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> use.local.desc is automatically generated from metadata.xml files, so
> it's the same thing

And this will soon be properly documented:
http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=309963








-- 
Thomas Kahle

The fundamental theorem of algebra is open source. Like any other
mathematical theorem it can be applied free of charge and everybody
has access to its proof and can convince himself how it works. Why
should software be any different?


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Re: [gentoo-dev] Add more local USE flags

[Mike Frysinger]

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On Thursday 18 March 2010 09:17:43 Thomas Kahle wrote:
> > use.local.desc is automatically generated from metadata.xml files, so
> > it's the same thing
> 
> And this will soon be properly documented:
> http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=309963

funny, it's in my `man portage` and has been for a while
-mike

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Re: [gentoo-dev] Add more local USE flags

[Thomas Kahle]

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On 03/19/2010 02:06 AM, Mike Frysinger wrote:
> On Thursday 18 March 2010 09:17:43 Thomas Kahle wrote:
>>> use.local.desc is automatically generated from metadata.xml files, so
>>> it's the same thing
>>
>> And this will soon be properly documented:
>> http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=309963
> 
> funny, it's in my `man portage` and has been for a while

I must admit that I did not look there (I tend to use internet search),
but it is also not in my current manpage (=sys-apps/portage-2.1.7.17)


use.local.desc

All local USE flags must be listed here along with the package and a
description.

	Format:
        - comments begin with # (no inline comments)
        - package:use flag - description


Not a word of metadata.xml or auto-generation.









-- 
Thomas Kahle

The fundamental theorem of algebra is open source. Like any other
mathematical theorem it can be applied free of charge and everybody
has access to its proof and can convince himself how it works. Why
should software be any different?


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Re: [gentoo-dev] Add more local USE flags

[Zac Medico]

On 03/19/2010 06:31 AM, Thomas Kahle wrote:
> On 03/19/2010 02:06 AM, Mike Frysinger wrote:
>> On Thursday 18 March 2010 09:17:43 Thomas Kahle wrote:
>>>> use.local.desc is automatically generated from metadata.xml files, so
>>>> it's the same thing
>>>
>>> And this will soon be properly documented:
>>> http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=309963
>>
>> funny, it's in my `man portage` and has been for a while
> 
> I must admit that I did not look there (I tend to use internet search),
> but it is also not in my current manpage (=sys-apps/portage-2.1.7.17)
> 
> 
> use.local.desc
> 
> All local USE flags must be listed here along with the package and a
> description.
> 
> 	Format:
>         - comments begin with # (no inline comments)
>         - package:use flag - description
> 
> 
> Not a word of metadata.xml or auto-generation.

I'm not sure what Mike meant, but after seeing his message I went
and updated the man page:

http://sources.gentoo.org/viewcvs.py/portage/main/trunk/man/portage.5?r1=15795&r2=15834&makepatch=1&diff_format=h
-- 
Thanks,
Zac