Re: [gentoo-dev] Reverse use of Python/Ruby versions

[William L. Thomson Jr.]

On Sun, 9 Apr 2017 17:52:44 -0400
Michael Orlitzky <mjo@g.o> wrote:

> On 04/09/2017 12:15 PM, William L. Thomson Jr. wrote:
> > Not sure if this is practical, it may be less work if the use of
> > Python and Ruby versions ( maybe others ) is reversed. Rather than
> > adding all the versions that the ebuild supports. What if it only
> > included versions it did not support?
>
> Even if this would work better, it would require retraining all
> developers, completely rewriting several eclasses, tons of
> documentation, and a few thousand ebuilds.

There could be things done to ease any transition.

Regarding python, the first of which could be to ignore any targets
beyond say 2.7 and just starting enabling support. That would mostly
leave just effected packages, ones that break with some 3.x version but
not with another.

As for modifying a few thousand ebuilds;

1, That is already the case now. If a new python or ruby version comes
out. All those ebuilds have to modified to support the new target. That
argument isn't really valid.

 2. As for the actual changes that can be done pragmatically if just
 swapping out the TARGETS variable. Or even if more advanced
 requiring changing lines. If its the same change to all. I have a
 script, ebuild-batcher[1], that can safely make any change to a
 massive number of ebuilds. I have used it a few times on hundreds of
 ebuilds. It can easily handle thousands.

> No one's going to jump on that bandwagon without a proof-of-concept
> that works much better than what we have now.

Anyone who has worked with a Gentoo system long enough that has Python
and/or Ruby has experienced this. You end up having multiple TARGETS
and are constantly messing with those variables adding new ones,
removing old, etc. It creates a considerable amount of work.

I have been fighting over ruby23 that I cannot seem to avoid. Despite
having had ruby24 for I think at least a week or more. My build server
stopped due to needing ruby23. I have been fighting with stuff around
that. More than likely anything bound to ruby23 target works with
ruby24. Its mostly how the system is designed.

I could be wrong in that case and something require ruby23, that does
not with ruby24. However most those packages do not have a ruby24
target, so its hard to say if its negated or just not enabled yet.
Being a new version, all have to be modified for such.

1. https://github.com/Obsidian-StudiosInc/ebuild-batcher

-- 
William L. Thomson Jr.