Zac Medico wrote:
> On 03/19/2010 12:15 AM, Dale wrote:
>    
>> I think this is because people that use Gentoo do so because it doesn't
>> install things they don't need.  Why install a package that is used by
>> no other package?  It's pointless.
>>
>> I would also add, if it gets installed and is used by no other package,
>> --depclean should remove it.  Putting it in package.mask locally is sort
>> of silly in my opinion.  There will come a day, maybe way off in the
>> future, that something will need it.  Then you have to edit the file
>> again so portage can install it.
>>      
> I guess what you want is an emerge
> --avoid-new-slots-whenever-possible option. You might also want it
> to check for cases in which pulling in a new slot will allow you to
> remove an older slot (that will require some additional work).
>
> Having options like those would be really super, but I don't think
> using package.mask to do it will be so awful.
>    

I think what most people want is for portage not to pull in a package 
that nothing uses.  I'm not a dev nor a programmer but I have yet to see 
any good reason for installing something that is not being used.  It's 
not being tested to see if it is stable.  It would have to be used 
before that would happen.  Basically, it is just one more package to 
update and taking up hard drive space.  It's not doing anything else.

As for slots, if something needs it, portage would pull in the new 
slot.  That's what portage does.  It just seems in this case it is 
pulling in a new slot that nothing uses.

Dale

:-)  :-)