more info on portage keyword

[pierrearinsal]

hi

I'm using gentoo for years, and i'm so happy to.
there is one thing I have never been able to figure out, it is the exact (list of) reason(s) why certain pakage are masqued :

my example , I'm using the very good even if non-official and still beta gentoo-portage.com web site.
today, I've noticed there is a new blablabla 2.6.x.x. package , that is tagged ~amd64, and I would LOVE to know why this package is tagged ~amd64 : is it because it has not been tested yet (in that case, I would love to help) or is there a known reason, and if so, where can I found those reasons and incidentally why it's not on gentoo-portage.com, just aside 'related bugs'?

my question is propably very stupid, but still, I can't be the only one that wonders that.
I have added entries in my /etc/portage/package.keywords file, and compiled package that were masqued, and they just worked perfectly, and after, I didn't know where to report..!

anticipated thanks to the one that gona make my day explaining here a probably very basic gentoo portage use...

pierre

[Bzub]

From http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/h ... t=2&chap=1
When you want to install a package that isn't available for your system, you will receive this masking error. You should try installing a different application that is available for your system or wait until the package is put available. There is always a reason why a package is masked:

• ~arch keyword means that the application is not tested sufficiently to be put in the stable branch. Wait a few days or weeks and try again.
• -arch keyword or -* keyword means that the application does not work on your architecture. If you believe the package does work file a bug at our bugzilla website.
• missing keyword means that the application has not been tested on your architecture yet. Ask the architecture porting team to test the package or test it for them and report your findings on our bugzilla website.
• package.mask means that the package has been found corrupt, unstable or worse and has been deliberately marked as do-not-use.
• profile means that the package has been found not suitable for your profile. The application might break your system if you installed it or is just not compatible with the profile you use.

So the reasons are being stable, secure & not messing up the rest of the system (if for example a lib is to new for the rest of the programs).

Filling a bug report on bugzilla will help speeding up putting the masked package as stable (I guess).

[NeddySeagoon]

pierrearinsal,

No question is stupid, except the one you don't ask as then you never get an answer.

Gentoo Packages come in three levels of testing.
The best tested packages are stable, e.g amd64. For a package to be considered for stable it must have no open bugs and no new bugs for 30 days.
The 30 days is a guideline only. Also, it must depend only on other stable packages.

The next layer up, e.g. ~amd64 are in testing. Some packages in testing have been there a long time and work very well but they either do not satisfy the criteria for stable or the developers judge that there is not enough test evidence. You can help here. If you use a testing package, check bugs.gentoo.org for a stabilisation bug. If there is one, add your

Code: Select all

emerge --info

to it, explain the features you have tested and how.

Lastly, there are hard masked packages. These should compile but little else is known about them. If you decide to try one and it works for you, you could post a keywording request bug. It needs the same information as above.

Running a whole testing system does lead to a few nasty surprises from time to time but I can only recall two in my seven years running ~x86.

[pierrearinsal]

Thanks a lot for your fast replies...
that's exactly what I was looking for.
I don't have that much of entries in my package.keywords, but I will try to report each time I'll compile one.
that's all what *nix is about, sharing to improve isn't it...

[NeddySeagoon]

pierrearinsal,

yep.