On Tue, 2008-04-22 at 08:09 +0100, Ciaran McCreesh wrote:
> > We definitely don't want to install DEPEND at the pkg_* stages, so I'd
> > say the requirement there, if you're asking, is prior to src_*, if
> > that matters.
> 
> If the alternatives are not being able to install from a binary at all
> due to circular dependencies, or being able to install from a binary
> using DEPEND to satisfy circular dependencies, which would you take?

Given the trouble that we have every release with trying to cram
everything our users want into a limited space, I'd rather the damned
thing not install than pull in a bunch of packages we don't need, just
to satisfy a dependency that isn't even used during execution of the
package.

> > I'd love to have some kind of functionality to allow some kind of
> > "optional" dependencies.  The only real way that I could see this
> > working is if we tracked what was installed as an optional dependency,
> > and not reinstall it if it has been removed the next time the
> > depending package is merged.
> 
> Sort of like what kdebuild has for suggested dependencies, but less
> strong?

Pretty much, yeah.  The main difference that I would see from the
current *DEPEND variables, besides what was said above, would be that a
lack of visibility wouldn't stop the package merge.  If sys-apps/foo had
ODEPEND="dev-libs/bar" and dev-libs/bar was masked, it simply wouldn't
be installed.

-- 
Chris Gianelloni
Release Engineering Strategic Lead
Games Developer
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