Re: [gentoo-portage-dev] User created package lists

[tvali]

> would indicate easily if any packages in the special list are upgradable
> irregardless of whether it is in world, system, whatever.

Ok. Kind of mirroring, then.

>From where the "current version" identifier for each package comes,
then? Will the packages be just downloaded to that central computer
and kept up-to-date there?

Is "list" specifier needed as there are many lists anyway? I mean,
there is no "--list" before world or system.

----------------------------------------------------

Actually, it seems to me that "emerge" should be divided into smaller
packages so that users could do such things by scripting.

For example, if there were utilities, which build different types of
lists [system, kde-meta, world] and output them in some standard
format, optionally including versions. elist --currently_installed >>
world.list && elist kde-meta kdevelop >> packages.list.

Then utility, which takes list into stdin and outputs, which items are
newer in server.

Then utility for different kinds of comparations of lists (mix --
mixes two lists into one; onlyinfirst, newerversioninfirst and so on).

Then utility, which is able to emerge all packages, which are
contained in a specific list.

What i mean -- it should be possible to use more shell scripting in
portage. Any competent admin would be able to run "elist
--currently_installed >> world.list" on all machines, then mix them in
one machine and check for updates (and then download all those updates
into local cache, for example).

This should be discussed more deeply, but i think that if portage is
divided into several smaller tools, it would be simpler to develop and
more scalable. In such case, what portage is about -- lists and
checking them against each other; emerging everything in given list;
unmerging everything in given list; checking for dependancies of a
given list.

It is not a small work to think out exactly *how* it should be
divided, but i think that the results would be worth of it. Currently,
imho, the portage code is grown complex enough that making it simpler
is more important than giving new features to it -- if it becomes
simple and robust, many new features will find their way in by
themselves without any work on developer side, i think :)

So, if portage would be looked as lists and operations with lists
(calculating dependencies of package would be operation with list of
that package and list of all - portage tree -, then); building tools
[shell commands] for creating those lists and tools for operations
with those lists and leaving "emerge" tool just a handy interface to
command them would be imho great.

So, something like:
# create list file of all in world
$ elist --currently_installed --options=fullname,installedversion >> world.list
# is cmd for create list file of all in portage tree too slow or usable enough?
# check if list of all (portage tree) contains anything newer
(all.list is symbolic name here for portage tree to get interface
ordered)
$ ecompare world.list all.list --newer --deep >> update.list
# there is another computer, which is not connected to internet, but
has some needs, too
$ ecompare othercomputerworld.list all.list --newer --deep >> update2.list
# mix those lists together
$ emix update.list update2.list >> allupdates.list
# download updates
$ efetch allupdates.list --where /var/portageupdates
# copy all updates mentioned in update.list to CD image
....
# update [build and install] all packages, using /var/portageupdates
as source of tar files
....

--
tvali

>From a programmer's point of view, the user is a peripheral that types
when you issue a read request.  -P. Williams

If you think your management doesn't know what it's doing or that your
organisation turns out low-quality software crap that embarrasses you,
then leave.  -Ed Yourdon

We all agree on the necessity of compromise. We just can't agree on
when it's necessary to compromise. -Larry Wall

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