Gentoo Archives: gentoo-dev

From: Daniel Campbell <zlg@g.o>
To: gentoo-dev@l.g.o
Cc: vim@g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-dev] vim-syntax USE flag
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2017 21:44:42
Message-Id: ac850cc1-d42f-6f4a-4658-36b8c55ca5bf@gentoo.org
In Reply to: [gentoo-dev] vim-syntax USE flag by Mike Gilbert
1 On 07/22/2017 01:27 PM, Mike Gilbert wrote:
2 > Packages currently handle installation of vim syntax support files
3 > inconsistently. Some builds install the files if the "vim-syntax" USE
4 > flag is enabled, while others install them unconditionally.
5 >
6 > Do these files fall into the "small text files" category for
7 > unconditional installation? If so, we should probably phase out the
8 > vim-syntax USE flag.
9 >
10 > If we want to keep the USE flag, I would suggest documenting a global
11 > policy regarding its use. Should that live in the devmanual? Or maybe
12 > the Vim project page?
13 >
14
15 I agree, a global policy should be established; whether it's "install
16 unconditionally" like we do with systemd units, openrc daemons, etc, or
17 a global USE. I'm unaware of any way to misinterpret what "vim-syntax"
18 means, and Vim itself already has a place it expects such files to go.
19 Installing a package without this USE flag requires a rebuild to get the
20 syntax file(s), so that's another reason to go unconditional. I have the
21 USE flag set globally and it hasn't created any blockers, so maybe it's
22 safe.
23
24 As for where documentation goes, I would expect a brief paragraph in the
25 devmanual mentioning the USE flag and linking to the Vim project page
26 that better explains usage and expectations. That way, changes in the
27 Vim project's way of development wouldn't require big rewrites in the
28 devmanual.
29
30 If we're shipping syntax for other editors as well, perhaps it's
31 deserving of its own devmanual page. Do we have a problem with
32 developers not shipping syntax files? (vim or otherwise)
33
34 --semi-offtopic--
35
36 When I first began using Gentoo in 2012, I was annoyed that Vim
37 remembered my cursor position for every file I opened. It took some
38 hunting to locate where this was set (/etc/vim/vimrc, owned by
39 app-editors/vim-core for the curious) and correct it with
40
41 g:leave_my_cursor_position_alone = 1
42
43 in my vimrc.
44
45 If we could document Gentoo-added Vim features like that, it'd be less
46 trouble for our newer users to configure Vim to their tastes. I
47 understand we're not a newbie distro, but unexpected behavior can be a
48 PITA to track down without documentation or trawling through `:script`
49 output. Searching the Web, our wiki, and even our GitHub account turned
50 up zero helpful results for this particular thing.
51
52 If the Vim team needs the help, I'd be glad to lend a hand where needed.
53
54 (also cc'ing vim@ to get an official opinion)
55 --
56 Daniel Campbell - Gentoo Developer
57 OpenPGP Key: 0x1EA055D6 @ hkp://keys.gnupg.net
58 fpr: AE03 9064 AE00 053C 270C 1DE4 6F7A 9091 1EA0 55D6

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