[gentoo-dev] News item: sys-libs/db old SLOT removal

[David Seifert <soap@gentoo.org>]

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The old Berkeley DB slots need to go at this point. The Base Project has
decided to consider BDB a deprecated database backend, and we'll slowly
be working towards a (possibly) BDB-free ::gentoo some time in the long-
term future.

  * * *

Title: sys-libs/db old SLOT removal
Author: David Seifert <soap@gentoo.org>
Posted: 2021-05-26
Revision: 1
News-Item-Format: 2.0
Display-If-Installed: sys-libs/db:1
Display-If-Installed: sys-libs/db:3
Display-If-Installed: sys-libs/db:4.2
Display-If-Installed: sys-libs/db:4.3
Display-If-Installed: sys-libs/db:4.4
Display-If-Installed: sys-libs/db:4.5
Display-If-Installed: sys-libs/db:4.6
Display-If-Installed: sys-libs/db:4.7
Display-If-Installed: sys-libs/db:5.1

On 1st June, we will mask the following Berkeley DB (aka sys-libs/db)
slots for removal from the tree within 60 days (bug #792222):

- 1
- 3
- 4.2
- 4.3
- 4.4
- 4.5
- 4.6
- 4.7
- 5.1

You should export your data first before rebuilding any applications
against newer slots of sys-libs/db.

Furthermore, the Gentoo Base System Team has decided to consider
sys-libs/db a deprecated database backend. What this means for you is
that we will slowly start deprecating optional use of sys-libs/db in
consumers and mask their USE="berkdb" flags with the goal of eventual
removal of berkdb support from those packages.

Other distros such as Fedora have started a gradual phase-out of
Berkeley DB too, given Oracle's strong-armed approach to community
input and their arguably hostile switch to the AGPLv3
(https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Libdb_deprecated). Furthermore,
Oracle is known to remove critical features from BDB in patch releases,
such as the removal of the client-server architecture and the SQL API
between 18.1.32 and 18.1.40.

To this end, we will also be removing USE="berkdb" from
profiles/default/linux/make.defaults. If you implicitly depend on
profiles enabling optional use of sys-libs/db, you will need to enable
this USE flag yourself, beginning 1st June.

From here on, you should be working under the assumption that the
sys-libs/db package will be gone from the Gentoo repository within
**two years** from the time of this news item. If you depend on BDB in
a production environment, we strongly suggest you move to one of the
modern replacements, such as GDBM, SQLite or LMDB.

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