>>>>> On Tue, 18 Sep 2012, Brian Harring wrote:
>> > from diffball (under current EAPIs)
>>
>> > """
>> > RDEPEND=">=sys-libs/zlib-1.1.4
>> > >=app-arch/bzip2-1.0.2
>> > app-arch/xz-utils"
>> > DEPEND="${RDEPEND}
>> > virtual/pkgconfig"
>> > """
>>
>> > becomes the following under the proposal:
>>
>> > """
>> > DEPENDENCIES=">=sys-libs/zlib-1.1.4
>> > >=app-arch/bzip2-1.0.2
>> > app-arch/xz-utils"
>> > dep:build? ( virtual/pkgconfig )"
>> > """
>>
>> Which is longer than the original. ;-)
> I see 5 lines in the first version, and 4 in the second. I also see
> either someone who counted wrong, or basing that statement purely on
> byte count (which is frankly arguing to argue on your part).
Can we agree that both counting of lines and characters is silly? ;-)
My point was that the new syntax isn't significantly more compact than
the present one. In one case there is another variable assignment,
in the other case you need an additional "dep:build? (
virtual/pkgconfig )" group.
Readability is more important, and there I still don't buy the
argument that the new syntax is better, and that any gain would
outweigh the cost of changing. After all, the existing variables for
dependency specification won't disappear, so devs would have to
remember both.
Ulrich
