[gentoo-dev] Re: Suitable USE flag name for stuff that requires non volatile memory

[Duncan <1i5t5.duncan@cox.net>]

Roy Marples <uberlord@gentoo.org> posted
20070512001018.0eca154e@uberlaptop.marples.name, excerpted below, on  Sat,
12 May 2007 00:10:18 +0100:

> dhcpcd-3.1 is [...] almost ready to be put into the tree.  [N]ew
> feature[:] generates a DUID-LLT [which should persist] across reboots.
> I would like a nice USE flag name, so it can be compiled with or without
> that support. My ideas so far.
> 
> duid
> duid-llt
> (both descriptive, but doesn't actually mean anything to most users)
> 
> livecd
> (only a livecd is volative, even embedded devices have non volative
> storage)
> 
> volatile
> 
> More are welcome :)
> 
> For those that are interested in what a DUID is, read on. A DUID (DHCP
> Unique IDentifier) is a unique identifier to the machine that should
> never change and is used along with an IAID (Identity association
> identifier). Simply put its a means of identifying the machine and the
> interface.

> It's also required for DHCP over infiniband and IPv6.
> 
> The big downside is that it does require non volative storage[.]
> Once you have a DUID, it should never change.

ipv6 USE flag, since IPv6 requires it?  It's not a perfect fit, but it's 
no worse than some others I've seen.  An elog could then be used with a 
short explanation and possibly a link to something a bit longer.  This 
works only if having it on by default is desired, since many profiles set 
+ipv6.

d-uid or dhcp-uid?  Unlike ipv6, this would be a local USE flag (as would 
be the parallel choices you suggested), so could be defaulted as desired, 
with a corresondingly less generic use.desc(.local) description.  An elog 
would then be optional.  UID should also have meaning to rather more 
users than duid does, and dhcp-uid would be quite descriptive at least to 
me, with or without additional information such as you provided above.

I like dhcp-uid, personally.  If that's Greek to someone, likely about 
anything else you chose would be as well, yet it still should make sense 
to anyone who has come across "UID" before.  For those to whom it doesn't 
make sense, the use.desc.local entry should hopefully be sufficient, if 
they even bother to worry about it as against the defaults, whatever they 
may be.

BTW, this is very useful information to me, and one of the big reasons 
I'm subscribed here, to get info such as this before I'm faced with it in 
the tree, and don't have a clue.  Thanks! =8^)

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman

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