On 13-10-2008 15:27:10 +0100, Ciaran McCreesh wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:16:01 +0100
> Steve Long <slong@...> wrote:
> > Unless someone can say what using PROPERTIES=prefix would break, I'd
> > go with that. It's a /classic/ usage of that variable, as it's simply
> > a boolean; PROPERTIES is well-defined and I'm hoping all the manglers
> > support it. It'd be great to see the prefix branch finally merged so
> > we all get to play with it.
> 
> It would break. Prefix ebuilds won't work unless ED is set, and a non
> PROPERTIES aware or non-prefix-property aware package manager won't set
> ED. Unless prefix is reimplemented to require no package manager
> changes for the install to / case, PROPERTIES is out.

Just to comment on this possibility; I see an option, given the
definition of ED and EROOT to do Prefix without them, by e.g. using
${D}${EPREFIX} instead of ${ED} as shorthand.  When ${EPREFIX} would be
unset, this would result in simple ${D}, which is "backwards
compatible".  This is not all what is necessary, but a big deal of it.

Question here, however, is whether this is worth it.  Personally, I
prefer the shorthands, as they give a lot of readability.


-- 
Fabian Groffen
Gentoo on a different level