Opinion on USE="-*"

[hotplainrice]

Just want to hear what you guys think about using USE="-*" and adding use flags through package.use. The objective behind this is to build a super lean machine.

Just for fun.

[blue.sca]

i am doing exaclty this since my second install and am very satisfied with it.

[GentooBox]

I really like flags like SSL, opengl and ALSA and i dont want to set them on every package that supports it.
So my USE flags is:

USE="-* bash-completion dvd dvdr gtk2 nptl nptlonly pic sftplogging alsa crypt multilib userlocales kde ssl truetype truetype-fonts bitmap-fonts type1-fonts X chroot opengl readline gif jpeg png tiff minimal

I could set bitmap-fonts, type1-fonts and chroot in the /etc/portage/package.use file, but thats just to much work

[MagnusBerg]

I doing both. Have a few USEflags (+ and -) in make conf and then manually set extra USEflags that I need then I emerge. But I understand that it's much easier to configure packagespecific USEflags in a package.use.

Can you tell me more about package.use??? Is it in /etc/portage/??? And how about syntax, can you show your file???

[Earthwings]

Just want to hear what you guys think about using USE="-*"

It's a nice way to waste time searching for failures that are caused by it.

[blue.sca]

Just want to hear what you guys think about using USE="-*"

It's a nice way to waste time searching for failures that are caused by it.

hmm? what do you mean?

[Earthwings]

Just want to hear what you guys think about using USE="-*"

It's a nice way to waste time searching for failures that are caused by it.

hmm? what do you mean?

a) Some random dev invents the new USE flags dontBreakMySystem and noBigExtraFiles which are turned on by default through your profile. USE=-* in your make.conf overrides this setting. After an emerge --sync, installing/upgrading foo which uses these flags now breaks your system
b) Install nicePackage which provides the USE flags supportForNicePackage. As you disable it in make.conf, no package will be built with supportForNicePackage.
See also http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/h ... t=2&chap=2

[Gullible Jones]

I don't see why a GNOME user shouldn't use USE="-arts"...

[MagnusBerg]

See also http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/h ... t=2&chap=2

And this:
High Performance Computing on Gentoo Linux

[Earthwings]

See also http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/h ... t=2&chap=2

And this:
High Performance Computing on Gentoo Linux

Updated August 1, 2003

So what?

[Parksy]

Just want to hear what you guys think about using USE="-*"

It's a nice way to waste time searching for failures that are caused by it.

I can attest to this. I did it on two new installs, and I had bunch of problems when stuff like pam was disabled. I also had problems with X and mplayer (among others), because the normal profile sets quite a few USE flags for those packages. I'll never do it again. It's better just to emerge -av while you install stuff and add USE flags to your make.conf as you go.

[blue.sca]

no, i don't get it... if there are some mystical dontbreakmysystem use flags some internal developers greated and i don't see it through emerge -pv blabla, then it is not my fault to break it. each use flag should be seen in verbose mode and some needed use flags should be announced.
also i can't see a disadvantage for not setting some options, or actually unsetting them through -*. i do a emerge -av <insertanypackage> before every package installation, so if every use flag is listed there, i have total control over the system.
in the links you posted, i can't see any of those tipps you give to me, i will reread them carefully, but if it is so dangerous you should post them there. you cannot leave this to the user...

//E:
also, i am using this for over a year now on my system and never had in problems regarding this. so my experiences are quite satisfied. but i do see you point, that i does not make sense to overwrite the profile settings.

[Parksy]

no, i don't get it... if there are some mystical dontbreakmysystem use flags some internal developers greated and i don't see it through emerge -pv blabla, then it is not my fault to break it. each use flag should be seen in verbose mode and some needed use flags should be announced.
also i can't see a disadvantage for not setting some options, or actually unsetting them through -*. i do a emerge -av <insertanypackage> before every package installation, so if every use flag is listed there, i have total control over the system.
in the links you posted, i can't see any of those tipps you give to me, i will reread them carefully, but if it is so dangerous you should post them there. you cannot leave this to the user...

//E:
also, i am using this for over a year now on my system and never had in problems regarding this. so my experiences are quite satisfied. but i do see you point, that i does not make sense to overwrite the profile settings.

I'm pretty sure that you'll always see any applicable use flags when you emerge -av. However, just because they're shown doesn't mean you'll always understand why they're there. That's what my problem boiled down to, anyways.

[pYrania]

It's evil, not even meant to work like that and most of the time doesn't what you expect.

[Redeeman]

i do that in my new 64bit isntall.. then i specify all the flags i want in package.use.. its pretty nice, allthough portage gets abit slower having to parse package.use