Gentoo Archives: gentoo-dev

From: Dale <rdalek1967@×××××.com>
To: gentoo-dev@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-dev] emerge -C eselect-python disaster
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:04:39
Message-Id: 4B5D2639.2000008@gmail.com
In Reply to: Re: [gentoo-dev] emerge -C eselect-python disaster by Richard Freeman
1 Richard Freeman wrote:
2 > On 01/24/2010 07:02 PM, Dale wrote:
3 >> Is there something that I am missing here? For me, system should
4 >> include the things needed for booting and for the package manager to
5 >> work.
6 >
7 > It should include the programs directly involved in booting, and the
8 > package manager. I'm not sure that it should contain their dependencies
9 > - since that information can be derived from the packages themselves.
10
11 I see your point but if removing python renders portage useless, then
12 portage is not any good either. So, if portage will not warn against
13 removing python, it may as well not warn about removing portage either.
14 The system needs both to work.
15
16 >
17 >> As I pointed out in another reply, portage won't let you unmerge
18 >> itself but it will let you unmerge a package that will render portage
19 >> useless.
20 >
21 > Well, it shouldn't allow you to unmerge anything that will render
22 > ANYTHING useless without some explicit instruction to do so.
23 >
24 > The documentation does warn of this behavior:
25 >
26 > --unmerge (-C)
27 > WARNING: This action can remove important packages! Removes all
28 > matching packages. This does no checking of dependencies, so it
29 > may remove packages necessary for the proper operation of your
30 > system. Its arguments can be atoms or ebuilds. For a dependency
31 > aware version of --unmerge, use --depclean or --prune.
32 >
33 > If you use --depclean to remove your package then you're safe.
34 >
35 > Note - the command line option names are not well-chosen here. -C
36 > should really be --unmerge-without-checking-dependencies-unsafe or
37 > some other obnoxious option, and --depclean should be the easy to type
38 > parameter.
39 >
40 >
41
42 I agree that since --depclean has improved, a LOT, that it is the safest
43 way to remove a package. Maybe that reverse -n feature may be
44 considered. Reserve the -C for someone that knows what not to remove.
45
46 Dale
47
48 :-) :-)