Re: [gentoo-user] Adding a use flag: hwdb

[Alan McKinnon]

On Sun, 10 Jun 2012 19:57:42 -0700
Chris Stankevitz <chrisstankevitz@×××××.com> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Background:
>
> I enable USE flags by adding them to /etc/portage/package.use.  This
> file is filled with all sorts of "personal preference customizations"
> of my system.  This file does not contain "required system USE flags".
>
> A month ago emerge insisted that I enable a USE flag
> "ruby_targets_ruby19" to a bunch of packages on my system.  Feeling
> uncomfortable adding a "system required" USE flag to package.use (vs
> "personal preference customization"), I posted to this list and indeed
> learned that I was going about it all wrong!  In that particular case,
> I should have added 'RUBY_TARGETS="ruby18 ruby19"' to /etc/make.conf.
> Actually, the Gentoo team should add this to the profile... presumably
> they will eventually do this or have done so already.
>
> Question:
>
> Today emerge is asking me to add "=sys-fs/udev-171-r6 hwdb" to
> package.use to appease udisk.  Just as before, this looks fishy to me
> and I would like to get your opinion about how to properly satisfy
> this seemingly system-required-use-flag.  My gut instinct is that this
> USE flag requirement should be handled by the Gentoo team in the
> profile or in some other place that I never look at.

It's not a question of "system" vs "personal preference"

It's a question of treating USE flags as global or local in scope. The
USE variable in make.conf applies globally, and the package.use file
applies to individual packages. Portage itself couldn't care how you
view the use of your flags, so you should organize them how you see fit.

See here:

$ euses -sf hwdb
sys-fs/udev:hwdb - read vendor/device string database and add it to
udev database

The flag applies to only one package.

Some USE flags do not have a sane default so there's no choice the devs
can make on your behalf. Especially convenience features like this one
- some folk want it, others do not. So the devs delegate the choice to
you to apply in any way you see fit.



>
> What do you guys think?  Should I append "udev hwdb" to package.use
> right after my long list of "personal preference customizations"?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Chris
>
> PS: A snippet from my /etc/portage/package.use:
>
> # Give a GUI to cmake
> dev-util/cmake qt4
>
> # Enable nice mounts in gnome
> gnome-base/gvfs fuse
>
> # Enable plotting in octave
> sci-mathematics/octave gnuplot
>
> # Enable GNOME right-click to create targz
> app-arch/file-roller nautilus
>
> # Satisfy a dependency I do not understand needed by a package I
> never heard of =sys-fs/udev-171-r6 hwdb
>



-- 
Alan McKinnnon
alan.mckinnon@×××××.com