Re: [gentoo-dev] BUILDROOT concept (was Re: [gentoo-dev] ROOT variable)

[Paul Smith]

%% Jason Stubbs <jstubbs@g.o> writes:

  >> However, the problem of the current handling of DEPEND vs. RDEPEND
  >> is not so simple to resolve.  It looks like DEPEND and RDEPEND are
  >> targeted at a very different scenario than the one I outline above.

  js> It's targeted at embedded systems and the like where you want to
  js> be very specific about what you want to install.

Mm.  But of course, this will only work if your embedded system just
happens to be the same architecture as your build system... which I
think is not a good restriction to make.

I think a better solution to the "building an embedded system" issue
would be having some kind of locally-defined "final step" that extracts
the specific bits you want from the ROOT image and constructs the
embedded image from that.  It could take advantage of the ROOT Portage
database files such as CONTENTS, etc. to figure out what files need to
be installed, and even postprocess it to remove things like man pages or
documentation which is deemed unnecessary for an embedded system.  It
seems like the ROOT image having its own Portage database, rather than
mixed in with the local system's database, could be extremely useful.

This way you could much more easily get REAL control over the content of
the embedded image.

Are there people using this feature right now?  I'd be interested to
hear their opinions on the current behavior of ROOT.

  >> For my purposes I might need a different kind of depend, call it a
  >> "build DEPEND" or BDEPEND.  This would be a set of packages that are
  >> needed in the BUILDROOT image in order to build the ROOT image.  It would
  >> only contain host-based tools, I guess, that were needed for building:
  >> as above it would refer to compilers, cross-compilers,
  >> bison/yacc/lex-type tools, etc.  This would be very cool, but maybe not
  >> critically important.

  js> how about the following?

  js> mkdir /my/very/own/root
  js> ROOT="/my/very/own/root/" emerge system
  js> chroot /my/very/own/root

I don't see how this solves the problem.  First, the point is to allow
multiple "build" images, which this does not do, since it still uses the
local host for all DEPEND information.  I don't want to have to update
(or downgrade!)  my local host's installation of packages just to build
a ROOT with a different setup!  Second, the ROOT is not a real Portage
system here: all the Portage database information, etc. is on the local
system.  Third, this still won't work if the ROOT target is to be run on
different hardware than the build system.  Etc.

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Paul D. Smith <psmith@××××××××××××××.com>   HASMAT--HA Software Mthds & Tools
 "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   These are my opinions---Nortel Networks takes no responsibility for them.

--
gentoo-dev@g.o mailing list