Re: [gentoo-user] Finer grained kde*-meta packages (was: Make portage assume, that a package is installed)

[Boyd Stephen Smith Jr.]

On Friday 15 June 2007, Alexander Skwar <listen@×××××××××××××××.name> wrote 
about '[gentoo-user]  Finer grained kde*-meta packages (was: Make portage 
assume, that a package is installed)':
> Boyd Stephen Smith Jr. <bss03@××××××××××.net> wrote:
> > However, I suggest that a cleaner method would be to not install
> > kde-meta or kdenetwork-meta at all but instead just install the KDE
> > applications that you require.
>
> Actually, I disagree.
>
> This would (obviously *g*) mean, that kde-meta cannot be installed
> (just as you say).

Yes, because the upstream kde includes, in particular, kppp.

> This means, that a whole "shit load" of packages
> would need to be manually installed. And all that, just because you
> don't want one or two packages?

Yep.  You get kde-meta or individual kde packages or you get your own 
ebuild that depends on a number of KDE packages.  The Gentoo developers do 
quite a bit of work just to give us kde-meta.  Be glad they don't stick 
you with the monolithic ebuilds.

> Nah. IMO that's the wrong way around. IMO the correct way would
> be to enhance the kde*-meta packages so, that they support USE flags,
> which allow the user to select what's to be installed.

I suppose that's a good idea in the future.  Perhaps you should file an 
enhancement bug.  That said, I would prefer kde-meta install all the 
packages that are part of KDE's upstream packaging by default.

> Eg. a "ppp" flag to select that ppp related stuff is to be installed.
> Or "filesharing" to disable filesharing related stuf

Do you suggest a global flag?

If so, what packages do you recommend this flags modify the behavior of?

If not, shouldn't it have a less ambiguous name?

> I mean, what's the advantage of the kde*-meta packages over the kde
> package, when the kde*-meta require just as much "junk", as the
> kde package does? Hm, really, what's the use of the kde*-meta package
> anyway?

The kde-meta package is meant to replace the kde package.  The is no 
advantage (and without a workable confcache, at least one disadvantage) to 
running split ebuilds.  The advantage of split ebilds is that you have the 
choice to install only the kde applications you want, by using the 
individual ebaulds, without dragging in all of kde (which is what "old" 
style kde packages pulled in as a dependency.)

Are the monolithic ebuilds still available?  They need to be purged from 
the tree ASAP.

- 
Boyd Stephen Smith Jr.                     ,= ,-_-. =. 
bss03@××××××××××.net                      ((_/)o o(\_))
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