On Fri, 2005-01-14 at 20:23 +0000, Stuart Herbert wrote: > On Friday 14 January 2005 19:41, Carsten Lohrke wrote: > > Use flags are not the solution for all and everything > > They *are* the solution for including/removing optional functionality from > the > package. Love it or hate it, it is one of the cornerstones of Gentoo.
You define it quite correct : 'optional functionality from the _package_' . This is no option defined in the source. > > and I absolutely dislike the use flag hell. > > Use flags additions (even local ones) should be handled more restrictive. > > This tune is starting to sound like a stuck record to be honest. > > I'm not saying that there isn't a problem, but honestly, what would you > prefer? Would you rather that packages on Gentoo were just like other > distros, where you get what you're given, rather than what you want? Would you rather have 3k of USE flags you can't deal with to begin with. Increasing USE flags to no end is at least as much choice inhibiting as restricting some choice. USE flags are a strong point of Gentoo, but it's actually getting weaker and weaker all the time. > I'm sorry for the critical tone here, but USE flags are one of Gentoo's > killer > features, and I don't understand the mindset of the camp who see them as > something that Gentoo can do without. They need improving to make them scale > easier, sure, but the idea behind them is a GoodThing(tm). You misunderstand the goals of this 'camp' I think. The line of thought is more that USE flags are getting abused for things they weren't meant for. I personally believe this particular one is one of them. - foser
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