What are USE-flags?

-USE-flags are a very important aspect of Gentoo. In this chapter, you learn to -work with USE-flags and understand how USE-flags interact with your system. +USE flags are a very important aspect of Gentoo. In this chapter, you learn to +work with USE flags and understand how USE flags interact with your system. 1.36 2007-02-20

-What are USE-flags? +What are USE flags? -The ideas behind USE-flags +The ideas behind USE flags

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ what features a certain package should support. If you don't need OpenGL, why would you bother installing OpenGL and build OpenGL support in most of your packages? If you don't want to use KDE, why would you bother compiling packages -with KDE-support if those packages work flawlessly without? +with KDE support if those packages work flawlessly without?

@@ -47,12 +47,12 @@ -Definition of a USE-flag +Definition of a USE flag

-Enter the USE-flags. Such a flag is a keyword that embodies support and -dependency-information for a certain concept. If you define a certain USE-flag, +Enter the USE flags. Such a flag is a keyword that embodies support and +dependency-information for a certain concept. If you define a certain USE flag, Portage will know that you want support for the chosen keyword. Of course this also alters the dependency information for a package.

@@ -75,32 +75,32 @@ -What USE-flags exist? +What USE flags exist?

-There are two types of USE-flags: global and local USE-flags. +There are two types of USE flags: global and local USE flags.

- A global USE-flag is used by several packages, system-wide. This is - what most people see as USE-flags. + A global USE flag is used by several packages, system-wide. This is + what most people see as USE flags.
- A local USE-flag is used by a single package to make package-specific + A local USE flag is used by a single package to make package-specific decisions.

-A list of available global USE-flags can be found online or locally in /usr/portage/profiles/use.desc.

-A list of available local USE-flags can be found locally in +A list of available local USE flags can be found locally in /usr/portage/profiles/use.local.desc.

@@ -108,20 +108,20 @@

-Using USE-flags +Using USE flags -Declare permanent USE-flags +Declare permanent USE flags

-In the hope you are convinced of the importance of USE-flags we will now inform -you how to declare USE-flags. +In the hope you are convinced of the importance of USE flags we will now inform +you how to declare USE flags.

-As previously mentioned, all USE-flags are declared inside the USE -variable. To make it easy for users to search and pick USE-flags, we already -provide a default USE setting. This setting is a collection of USE-flags +As previously mentioned, all USE flags are declared inside the USE +variable. To make it easy for users to search and pick USE flags, we already +provide a default USE setting. This setting is a collection of USE flags we think are commonly used by the Gentoo users. This default setting is declared in the make.defaults files part of your profile.

@@ -157,8 +157,8 @@

To change this default setting, you need to add or remove keywords to the USE variable. This is done globally by defining the USE variable -in /etc/make.conf. In this variable you add the extra USE-flags you -require, or remove the USE-flags you don't want. This latter is done by +in /etc/make.conf. In this variable you add the extra USE flags you +require, or remove the USE flags you don't want. This latter is done by prefixing the keyword with the minus-sign ("-").

@@ -205,19 +205,19 @@ -Declare temporary USE-flags +Declare temporary USE flags

-Sometimes you want to set a certain USE-setting only once. Instead of editing -/etc/make.conf twice (to do and undo the USE-changes) you can just -declare the USE-variable as environment variable. Remember that, when you +Sometimes you want to set a certain USE setting only once. Instead of editing +/etc/make.conf twice (to do and undo the USE changes) you can just +declare the USE variable as environment variable. Remember that, when you re-emerge or update this application (either explicitly or as part of a system update) your changes will be lost!

-As an example we will temporarily remove java from the USE-setting +As an example we will temporarily remove java from the USE setting during the installation of seamonkey.

@@ -316,18 +316,18 @@

-Package specific USE-flags +Package specific USE flags -Viewing available USE-flags +Viewing available USE flags

-Let us take the example of seamonkey: what USE-flags does it listen to? To +Let us take the example of seamonkey: what USE flags does it listen to? To find out, we use emerge with the --pretend and --verbose options:

+ # emerge --pretend --verbose seamonkey
 These are the packages that I would merge, in order:
 
@@ -348,11 +348,11 @@
 
 
 
-Now run equery with the uses argument to view the USE-flags of a
+Now run equery with the uses argument to view the USE flags of a
 certain package. For instance, for the gnumeric package:
 
 
-+ # equery uses =gnumeric-1.6.3 -a
 [ Searching for packages matching =gnumeric-1.6.3... ]
 [ Colour Code : set unset ]



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