Re: [gentoo-user] Reproducible Installation Lists?

[Dale]

Ramces Tampo-og Red wrote:
> Dale <rdalek1967@×××××.com> writes:
>
>> Since you mention being new to Gentoo, don't forget the --oneshot or -1
>> option when emerging things that should not be in the world file. 
>> Libraries are one thing that should rarely if ever be in that file. 
>> Once you get your install done and rarely install new packages, you can
>> add that to the defaults in make.conf.  When I first started using
>> Gentoo, I was bad to forget the -1 option and my world file was a mess. 
>> It can lead to all sorts of problems later on.  The only entries in the
>> world file should be packages you install and use directly.  It's rare
>> that anything else should be there. 
>>
> Wait. Does this mean doing an emerge --ask foo-libs/lib or do you mean
> the stuff that were pulled alongside packages? Since I do think that the
> packages that I've installed certainly pulled libraries too.
>
>> Happy Gentooing. 
>>
>> Dale
>>
>> :-)  :-) 
>>
> Cheers, you too!
>


Let's say you run the command emerge firefox because you plan to use it
as a web browser.  It is very likely that it will pull in other packages
that it needs to work.  But, emerge only records firefox in the world
file as that is what you asked for.  When firefox updates later, emerge
will find the update and if needed, pull in updates to packages it
depends on that are required.  It may have several, it may not but none
of those should be in world.  Only things you emerge should go in the
world file.

The way the world file gets things in it that shouldn't be there is when
you run into a issue updating.  Let's say you sync and emerge can't find
a clear path to update.  What most of us do is update in smaller parts
one or two packages at a time.  Sometimes you may have to unmerge a
package and emerge something else to help emerge along.  As you are
doing that, you should use -1 for packages that you didn't install
yourself such as Firefox.  One package that comes to mind is harfbuzz. 
There's another that goes with that but I forget the name.  If you run
into that, those are packages other things depend on and they shouldn't
be in the world file.  So, while getting around that, use the -1
option.  In short, things like Firefox, libreoffice, digikam, okular and
such are what belongs in world providing your aren't using a meta
package that pulls them in.  Things those packages depend on should be
managed by emerge itself during normal updates. 

Some one else may can explain that better.  Sometimes a different view
makes things clearer. 

I just wish I knew some of that when I first started.  I started running
into update problems and someone pointed out I should check my world
file.  It was full of stuff that shouldn't be there and some even had
versions which prevented updates.  It took me a while but I got it
cleaned up and things worked fine.  That's when I added -1 to
make.conf.  I've had a clean world file ever since. 

Tasytea has a good idea on using sets if you prefer that way.  I rarely
use sets but a lot of people love them.  It does have benefits but it
just isn't for me. 

Hope that helps.

Dale

:-)  :-)