/etc/portage/package.* and updates

[KyroMaster]

When I install sabayon, there's some entries by default in /etc/portage/package.mask und package.unmask
I wonder whether they're updated automatically using entropy or portage, or are these just the needed entries for the state of the trees when the installer was created and the user has to look if the entries are still valid/needed?

[Fitzcarraldo]

Don't use Entropy myself, so can't comment about what that does. As far as Portage is concerned, you've got to edit the files in the /etc/portage/ directory yourself.

[KyroMaster]

Thanks for your reply

The use flags defined by sabayon in /etc/portage/package.use, do I have to add special ones for new packages, too, to get them compile in the sabayon environment? I mean with plain gentoo, if I just use a profile with its use-flags I can be sure (at least in theory) that new packages compile in this environment.

[Fitzcarraldo]

I don't know what the state of the /etc/make.conf and /etc/portage/package.use files is in SL 3.5 because I installed 3.4f last year and have updated all packages since then, as well as installing several more. Anyway, over the months as I've merged or updated packages I've had to add (and remove) a few global USE flags to /etc/make.conf, as well as a few local USE flags to /etc/portage/package.use. My guess is that some of the edits I've done to my files are also reflected in the SL 3.5 /etc/make.conf and /etc/portage/package.use.

[DontPanic]

Unless you like to tweak a lot, I don't expect you'll need to change the settings in /etc/portage/package.use very often.

As with Gentoo (since we're based on Gentoo), every so often, a package upgrades in a manner that requires an adjustment in the /etc/portage/package.use file. But I don't run into that too often.

Since SabayonLinux is pre-built for many possible environments, such as laptop, wireless, graphics driver, etc., Sabayon uses a more complicated array of USE Flags than the typical Gentoo user would set up. Due to the extensive USE flags employed, Sabayon also needs to implement a few more exceptions in the /etc/portage/package.use file than a typical Gentoo user.

But, hopefully, once the USE Flags are initially set up, the end user won't have to adjust them too much.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Agreed. I expect the /etc/make.conf and /etc/portage/package.use in SL 3.5 are now quite up-to-date and 'stable' (for want of a better word).

The /etc/make.conf in 3.4f was a different story: I had terrible trouble merging packages until I had sorted out /etc/make.conf (and, to a lesser extent, /etc/portage/package.use). Once I got /etc/make.conf sorted out, Portage became much easier to use. But, as I mentioned in my previous post, I do still occasionally have to add a local USE flag or package to /etc/portage/package.use. The edit is usually quite obvious, though, because the error message from a failed build will say something along the lines of "Package Fu needs to be compiled with USE flag Bar". This would be the case with any version of SL (or Gentoo) when merging new packages or updating others, but it's not a big deal.