Another way to maintain your system

[neumond]

Dealing with /etc/portage/package.* and /var/lib/portage/world files I came to a conclusion: some records are intentional and the rest are unintentional, just allowing me to proceed further. When you just start installing the system, its not a big deal to know where your settings and packages were intentional. But after some updating and continuous using you need some cleanup, that is usually hard to make.

To separate intentional settings you can create custom profile:

file: eapi <<<
5
<<<

file: make.defaults <<<
USE="some common use flags, separated from your hardware dependant make.conf"
<<<

file: package.use, package.mask, etc
intentional per-package settings

file: packages
intentional top-level packages. now you don't worry you can forget -1. also you can track your new packages in /var/lib/portage/world and if you need them, add to packages

file: parent
path to base profile you usually choose.

You cannot choose your profile with eselect, but you can make symlink /etc/portage/make.profile

Now you can remove all package.* files in /etc on every update safely. Also you can clear /var/lib/portage/world.

[Naib]

Why would you clear portage/world
_________________

[neumond]

Not just clear, but have ability to separate junk and useful things, then add them into profile. E.g. you always have to worry about -1 flag when you install temporary packages. Use flags and accepted keywords which just "necessary to proceed", do you really need them? You just move useful lines into custom profile, and can easily clear all that junk, without the need in complex scripts to cleanup package.*.

[jonathan183]

[neumond]

Well, yes, it should work. But you cannot comment world file, also it forces alphabetic order of lines. Probably that can be solved with couple of simple scripts. Thanks for critics.

[jonathan183]