http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=23747
Here is the text, let me know what you think about it:
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I know that suggestions similar to this one had alrady been discussed a lot of time, but before you start complaining please read all i have to say.
The portage system is really powerfull. I'm not using Gentoo becouse i think that optimized packages for my system will be a lot faster than precompiled ones (well, maybe
), but becouse:1) the stable branch is really stable but not too outdated (see Debian)
2) i can configure my gentoo installation as i really want (only the packages i want, the way i want)
3) if i have to install packages like mplayer , or the latest loster, i can do this with no trouble at all
The only drawback is the compiling time. Yes, i can compile in the night, but sometimes i really need to have a package installed immedialy, of simply i don't want to wait ages to have kde compiled on my not too powerfull laptop.
Finally here is the suggestion:
The idea is to create a p2p network where gentoo users can transparently share the already compiled packages.
Considering one package "name_version" (let's say kdebase_3.1.2) this can be different from the others already compiled one (samepackage_sameversion) only in three ways:
I) used optimizations
II) used USE flags
III) linked library's versions used (let's say it may be compiled using pam_0.73 or pam_0.74 as the dependency rule only states => pam_0.73)
IV) gcc compiler used
On point I i think that a lot of gentoo users will be happy to renunce using exotic CFLAGS settings, it they can get the packages already compiled THE way thay want with "standard" optimizations like CFLAGS="-march=athlon-xp -O3 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer". Also the gentoo developers team is moving in the direction of defining some "stable&standard" predefined cflags settings for various cpu, as can be inferred from the "CFLAGS/cpuinfo collection project".
Point II should not be that great problem, as the possible combinations of optional USE flags in packages is not that high number. Also it usally happend that there are some "most used" USE flags combinations.
Point III is probably the major one. We have to distinguish between kdebase_3.1.2 compiled upon pam_0.73 and kdebase_3.1.2 compiled upon pam_0.74 (and also between different releases).
Point IV is not a problem as the gcc version used in gentoo doesn't change frequently.
All this system should be based on an existing p2p sharing protocol (maybe adapted) that has to be efficient, fast, scalable, and working also with firewalled users (there are a lot....) (am i asking too much?
).The key point is the number of users adopting this feature (it would be nice to have an entry make.conf under features , like "binary_sharing"=yes), that should be enaugh large to cover all the needed combinations. The good news is that gentoo's user base is currently growing, with the popluraty of the distro, so i think that using this system a user shouldn't have any problem in findind the packages it need with the right characteristic for popoular (and not only) programs. Kde hell could end!
All the sharing have to be completely transparent to the user! So, if a user enables this feature in make.conf , the following two things will happend:
A) for every ebuild compile, two files will be generated under an arbitrary directory:
1) the binary package (ebuild with -k option)
2) the description (.desc maybe?) file, with the same name of the binary package, cointaing the three infos needed (optimizations, USE flags, version/revision of the packages the package depend upon).
This way the user actively contribute to the gentoo sharing comunity in a transparent way [an algorythm that deletes obsoletes file shold be added later......]
B) for every ebuild compile, portage automatically search with a query on the p2p gentoo comunity if the requested package is already present, with the required characteristic. If so it download it and install it.
A md5 check should be added later for security reason.
I know that a lot more should be added and discussed, but i need to know what you think of this idea. I also have to add that i don't have the programming experience needed to be a "first line developer" that directly modify portage and the sharing protocol, but i want to contribute for what i'm able to.
I really think that ,as the user base is already very large, this project would be succesfull.
This enhancement could improve a lot the gentoo experience, given the reduced package's installation time, while preserving all the portage excellent features.
For the brave who dared to read me till this point, i thank them! (also sorry for my bad english....)
Hope that this contribution will help the gentoo comunity.
Bye
Stefano Peluchetti
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