[gentoo-dev] Re: Prefix bootstrap script maintainability (Was: No more stable keywords for Games)

[R0b0t1]

Hello friends!

On Monday, November 20, 2017, Sergei Trofimovich <slyfox@g.o> wrote:
> On Sun, 19 Nov 2017 22:47:35 -0600
> R0b0t1 <r030t1@×××××.com> wrote:
>
>> Understanding an existing codebase should not be a technical
>> challenge. I had to resort to reimplementing all of the steps myself,
>> in part to understand if they were done properly in the first place.
>
> Looks like you are an expert in this area now and are perfectly capable
> of submitting the patches. I can review them at least for crossdev.
>

In my goal to understand bootstrap-rap I am still in the process of
creating something crossdev-like that can be used to generate a toolchain.

A recurring problem I have had is that this set of related tasks -
generating cross compilers and packages, generating an initramfs, or
generating a prefixed pseudoinstallation - all start by reimplementing some
subset of portage.

For prefix/RAP it makes sense, for the others possibly not.

>> Unfortunately these are things that the original authors should
>> produce. Experience has shown me that documentation written by
>> ancillary contributors that do not have deep experience with the code
>> base is poor.
>
> If you have invested some time to understand the code you and understood
> at least something you should be perfectly capable of submitting a patch
> to document a thing or two that took you time to grasp.
>

Yes, that is what I am doing with my own code as I have the time to write
it. I mostly still have no idea what is going on in the already written
code.

> Nobody knows what is hard for you to understand except yourself.
>

People will often find tasks similarly difficult. This is why I am
surprised documentation is lacking for specific projects, or, I suppose,
any software package that has ever been created.

Cheers,
    R0b0t1