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On Tue, 25 Jun 2013 18:31:05 -0400, Walter Dnes wrote: |
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> A few years ago the developers, "in their infinite wisdom", decided to |
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> enable the ipv6 USE flag by default. I found out "the hard way", when |
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> internet-enabled apps like Firefox sat there, spinning their wheels for |
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> a minute, before timing out the IPV6 lookup and falling back to IPV4. |
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> Since then, I have always done a --pretend update run and check the |
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> output, before doing the real update. And I've switched to beginning my |
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> USE variable with "-*". |
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So, on the basis of one decision that affected you slightly adversely |
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some years ago, you have exposed yourself to several years of extra work |
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and breakage by disabling a key portage feature? |
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I don't understand why your IPv4 only system had problems with apps |
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trying to use IPv6, as that couldn't happen unless you had enabled IPv6 |
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in the kernel. |
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This problem was commonplace a few years ago with binary distros, caused |
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by crappy router firmware that couldn't handle IPv6, so the thing just |
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hung until the kernel timed out and fell back to IPv4. |
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I don't see how USE="-*" would fix either your router or your kernel |
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configuration. |
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> There is the option of setting USE="-ipv6" the more timid users. I |
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> don't understand the point of defaulting to IPV6. The vast majority of |
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> Gentoo users probably still run IPV4-only. |
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Because it only has an effect if you have already enabled IPv6 in your |
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kernel, and then only causes a problem with broken hardware. So a pretty |
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sensible option, although one I chose not to take when I noticed the |
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change in the output of emerge --ask. |
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As has already been said, you should always check such output, but it is |
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even more important to do so after switching profiles, which is the only |
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way the default USE flags change. |
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-- |
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Neil Bothwick |
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Oxymoron: Reagan memoirs. |