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List:       gentoo-dev
Subject:    [gentoo-dev] Re: Ideas about Gentoo
From:       Paul de Vrieze <P.T.deVrieze () kub ! nl>
Date:       2002-01-29 20:45:03
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Maciek Borowka wrote:
>> anyways, i see
>> no reason why you couldn't make the ebuild scripts interactive
>
>You're right - the technical possibility exists, the problem is that no
>ebuild script does actually use it...
>
>> ebuild scripts to check for $EMERGE_INTERACTIVE in the user's
>> environment e.g - if "1" then ask your questions else build "as normal".
>
>I agree absolutely - interactivity is only an option...

I would like to add a suggestion. Use config files with defaults. I have
the following reasons for doing that:
- Interactivity is not nescesarry when default config is preferred
- It is possible to preconfigure a number of packages at once and than put
  the computer to work for the night.
- It might be possible to upgrade old preferences

The system could than get the following specifications:
- An extra interactive_config() function added to the ebuild with the
  following specs:
	* Every option is specified with an add_option(name, type,
          default), where "name" is the name of the option, "type" is the
	  datatype of the option eg: boolean, string, int. "default" is
	  the default value of the option. Boolean options can be passed
	  in the USE variable for optimal consistency, the other types are
	  more rare.
	* An optional description can be given with a
	  describe_option(name, description) function. This clarifies the
	  option so maybe should not be optional
	* An optional option_compat(name, version) function can be used to
	  specify a version of the package for which re-evaluation of the
	  option is not necesarry. (And for which it is)

- The config file should specify all options and the chosen values.

- For default builds no config file should be made.

- As stated above the option file should be tied to a package version.
  Possibly the same naming as the digest file (but then with config) is
  useful.

If anyone has any comments on this, please let me hear them (by posting to
the mailing list)

Paul

ps. I also send this to gentoo-dev because I think this mail is more
appropriate there, although it reacts on gentoo-user

-- 
  ___
 /~~~\  | Paul de Vrieze
| O-O | | Student of information management and technology
|  _  | | Mail: Paul@devrieze.net
 \___/  | Homepage: http://www.devrieze.net


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