Re: [gentoo-dev] Should Sphinx really depends on PYTHON_COMPAT/PYTHON_USEDEP for `dev-python/*` ebuilds?

[Michał Górny]

On pią, 2017-05-12 at 13:20 +0700, Alex Turbov wrote:
> On Thu, May 11, 2017 at 2:51 PM, Michał Górny <mgorny@g.o> wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > Few janitorial notes for a start:
> >
> > 1. please fix your line wrapping since your messages are wrapped twice
> > now, and it's really hard to read with single words on every second
> > line;
> >
>
> sorry, I don't understand what are you talking about... probably some
> problem with your email client (or whatever you use).
> I'm using gmail's web UI and see no double wraps...

Example from your e-mail (I've added empty lines to prevent gmail from
pretending it's fine):

| that my primary (and default) Python version is 3.5 and I have some 2.7

| packages

| (ebuilds) only because they required by something else (really important to

| me).

Plus, please disable HTML mail. It is possible that this will also fix
text mail format.

> > You can't use python_targets directly since it will break when the old
> > implementations are disabled (and also make it PITA for others to add
> > new impls).
> >
>
> Ok, what I can use instead?

No solution for the moment. I have some idea though, and I will shortly
reply to your original e-mail on it.

> > Long story short, it's not worth the effort.
> >
> > Yes, most of the time people specify PYTHON_USEDEP on sphinx needlessly.
> >  There are two other major cases when you need it though:
> >
> > 1. things like autointerface that interface with packages' code,
> >
>
> what are you talking about? (
> https://pypi.python.org/pypi/repoze.sphinx.autointerface/ ??)

Yes, that one. There could possibly be more.

> > 2. and packages calling sphinx via 'python /usr/bin/sphinx ...' (i.e.
> > requiring impl match between python in use and sphinx).
> >
>
> do you mean they are doing it from ebuild?

More often from Makefile or setup.py, or any other wrapper that we have
no direct control of.

> > However, tracking the other uses down and figuring them is not worth
> > the effort. In the end, someone will probably add it back thinking
> > someone must've missed it. It's too hard to get it right.
> >
>
> I didn't get what are you talking about...

I mean that it's highly probable that some other developer seeing
dependency on dev-python/sphinx without PYTHON_USEDEP will readd it,
thinking that the developer missed it by mistake.

>
>
> > Building Sphinx with less implementations than its reverse dependencies
> > is a corner case. It's not really worth spending hours making sure
> > depends are 100% strictly correct. The more important goal is to have
> > things working reliably, and overspecified deps are reliable, i.e.
> > packages won't fail to build because of them.
> >
> >
>
> Ok, seems I've got your point of view, but can't agree w/ it... Well, I
> would fight alone w/ it
>

Just to be clear, I'm not opposed to accepting fixes if you want to work
on them. I'm just saying you can expect an uphill battle, and not much
of help.

-- 
Best regards,
Michał Górny