[gentoo-portage-dev] Hello (Re: test)

[Duncan]

genone posted <20060330011627.7A7982803F@××××××××××××××××××.net>,
excerpted below,  on Thu, 30 Mar 2006 04:15:48 +0200:

> Test

This seems a good opportunity for my own test... and introduction.

Some weeks ago I mailed a couple of you asking if my presence here would
be worthwhile and not disruptive (last thing I want to do is disrupt
development of such a critical part of Gentoo), in view of my posts to
devel. The answer I got said go ahead, so here I am.

In theory, I'm learning python and intend to use portage as my intro to
real life practical code, even if it's not text-book pretty.  In practice,
I haven't done much with that project in awhile, but reading the back-list
has already proven beneficial to my understanding of portage and the
issues it tackles, on an above-code level. Going forward, keeping up
with this list should be useful as a heads up on the developments in this
critical portion of Gentoo, even if that python learning thing never goes
anywhere.

I've finally caught up on the back-list (I read most threads since
November and selected ones from before that -- wow, I hadn't realized how
fast portage was progressing until I read messages from six or even three
months ago talking about features I'm now using, in future tense!) and am
now current with the list. I haven't found anything that just begs for a
first post opinion contribution, however, so this is it.

I'm not coming in with an intent to radically change the world or portage,
or a list of things I think you are doing wrong, as I'm rather very
impressed with just how well portage does at a very difficult job. You
guy's certainly get my respect!  =8^) Instead, I'm here to learn and
perhaps to help test, and in time, possibly, to contribute. For the time
being, I'll mostly lurk.

OK, a bit of user's perspective feedback on some of my favorite features!

A big thanks for the integration of the confcache functionality!  I
had been (semi-patiently <g>) waiting for that for some time, every since
the split-off of sandbox, after which the old patch didn't seem to work so
well.  (I tried manually splitting it up too, but had mixed results,
compounded by some other problems I had at the time.)  I put it to good
use with the upgrade to KDE 3.5.2 earlier this week!  FWIW, I'm using
FEATURES=-metadata-transfer, as well.  I'm currently on 2.1-pre7-r2
(~amd64), from my last sync a couple days ago.  

My favorite long-time portage power-user feature is buildpkg, as it has
demonstrated its usefulness time and again on this ~amd64 system.  Having
several earlier versions of a package conveniently tarballed comes in very
handy for troubleshooting and bug tracing, sometimes, in addition to the
convenient package and system restore abilities.  IMO, the handbook should
spend a bit more time on this very useful portage feature!

Reading the back-list gave me a new appreciation for the dep-resolver, and
just how important and complex it is, as well.  That there are as few
issues as there are with it, indeed, with running Gentoo in general due to
it, is a testament indeed to the talent of portage devs, both current and
former (DRobbins), and to those in FBSD and the like from which he
borrowed ideas.  A VERY BIG thanks for that, as well as the fancy
whiz-bang stuff that tends to get all the attention.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman in
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/12/22/rms_interview.html


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