Re: [gentoo-dev] Re: Global USE flags (Was: mplayer global use flag)

[Georgi Georgiev]

maillog: 29/10/2006-05:26:52(+0200): Mart Raudsepp types
>
> The main problem in my eyes here is that with certain USE flags, the
> description doesn't really convey what the user will get.
> Many are in the form of "adds support for this optional thing" instead
> of "by using this optional dependency [named often the same as the USE
> flag name] you will get this and that extra functionality".
>
>
> Now what good wxGTK maintainer would I be, if I didn't pick wxwindows
> USE flag as an example:
>
> "wxwindows - Adds support for wxWindows/wxGTK GUI toolkit"
>
> Lets see what the user really gets with this in the example of a few
> packages that use this USE flag in IUSE:
>
> app-backup/bacula: a wxWidgets console, while there are other consoles
> available, such as gnome2-console and having both USE flags will result
> in two consoles. However all of these are dependent on bacule-console
> local USE flag...
>
> app-emulation-bochs: Compile a wxWidgets based GUI (other are available)
> media-gfx/zphoto: Use wxWidgets for GUI (to get ANY kind of GUI)
> media-video/gpac: Build wxOsmo4 and V4Studio
> media-video/mkvtoolnix: Build mmg and a GUI for mkvinfo
>
> All of these "support wxGTK" in the sense that they pull it in and build
> a few things against it, but it doesn't articulate what does the user
> exactly get from using that global USE flag for this particular package.
> Sometimes she gets just some little extra GUI apps, sometimes a GUI in
> the first place, sometimes an extra GUI interface in addition to others,
> and so on.
> Similar things can be observed with many other global USE flags (and
> also some local flags) - examples on request (time consuming detail
> gathering).
>
> And that's the problem - the user doesn't know what benefit will it
> bring her to use or not use a global USE flag for this particular
> package.

That's why the descriptions in the linux kernel are great. They mention
exactly what you get and also give advice about the value:

"If you don't know what Access Control Lists are, say N"
"If unsure, say N"
"If unsure, say N. More documentation can be found at ..."

Maybe something to consider when editing/adding descriptions.

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