Re: Re: [gentoo-user] Updating portage, continued

[Neil Bothwick]

On Thu, 6 Jun 2019 08:00:07 +0200, n952162@×××.de wrote:

Please don't top-post. Inline replies are preferred on this list.

> The handbook is great information, but unfortunately, it uses concepts
> - specific gentoo concepts - that many readers doesn't know.  They are
> then often cross-referenced to other pages, which likewise define
> things based on expected internal understanding of the mechanisms,
> goals, and potential scenarios.

There is an element of circularity to this, which can take a bit longer
to understand. Once you do, it suddenly all makes sense, and you no
longer see the problems that new users can have with the documentation.

> Consider slots.  I'm sure I've read that slots are used to allow
> multiple ... versions? configurations? of the same package to be
> installed.  It was gradually dawning on me, that it's the developer who
> specifies the slot.   Now, I can't figure out what use case that
> benefits, but the ability to have slots react to realities at a
> particular installation see to me to make a lot of sense.  So, there
> must be something basic  that I don't understand.

Slots are defined in the ebuilds, the developer must decide there is a
need for, and implement, the slot behaviour. for example, gcc is slotted
- you would normally use the latest version but some software may not
  build with it so it is useful to have an older version around for
  those cases. Python is another example already mentioned.
 
> I think cases like my simple case would help new comers and I'm hoping
> to make a blog describing it, once I fully understand the implications.

By all means record your experiences, but once you have crossed that
initial threshold of understanding, and before you forget it was even
there, you could also add any explanations you feel are missing to the
Gentoo wiki.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Top Oxymorons Number 17: Clearly misunderstood