In http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=1&chap=7#doc_chap2 you suggest to do: USE="-doc symlink" emerge gentoo-sources which seems useless to me. First of all there is no doc-useflag. Second, the symlink gets created automaticly when there is no /usr/src/linux (tested with a fresh install and gentoo-sources-2.6.19-r5). Removing the symlink-useflag also fixes that you remerge the first time you do emerge -uDN world you also remerge gentoo-sources while it changes nothing and might confuse people who're new to gentoo. And emerging this way isn't "the gentoo way"(tm).
-doc and note will be removed after having checked symlink should remain. Search cvs logs/bugs.g.o if you feel like it
(In reply to comment #1) > -doc and note will be removed after having checked > symlink should remain. Search cvs logs/bugs.g.o if you feel like it > I read through kernel-2.eclass, and it looks like lines 610 - 628 do indeed symlink the kernel with or without the USE flag on a fresh install.
CCing our kernel gurus to confirm that this is what the eclass does.
(In reply to comment #2) > I read through kernel-2.eclass, and it looks like lines 610 - 628 do indeed > symlink the kernel with or without the USE flag on a fresh install. Of course it does, still not a reason to remove it. Handbook is very clear about symlink. It looks like no kernel uses doc anymore and this one can be safely removed.
(In reply to comment #4) > Of course it does, still not a reason to remove it. Handbook is very clear > about symlink. > > It looks like no kernel uses doc anymore and this one can be safely removed. Correct, -doc can be removed. However, dsd will be removing the symlink USE flag, as he and the kernel team feel that its behavior is unnecessary and broken (in some situations). Therefore, I'd like to remove it from the handbook as well. As the handbook says, it's not necessary -- in fact just emerging a kernel package _does_ "ensure proper creation of the /usr/src/linux symlink." Therefore, why keep it if you already get it? Such redundancy is unneeded, because the handbook's procedure is assuming a first-time install, with no preexisting symlink.
(In reply to comment #5) > (In reply to comment #4) > > Of course it does, still not a reason to remove it. Handbook is very clear > > about symlink. > > > > It looks like no kernel uses doc anymore and this one can be safely removed. > > Correct, -doc can be removed. Good. > However, dsd will be removing the symlink USE > flag, as he and the kernel team feel that its behavior is unnecessary and > broken (in some situations). Therefore, I'd like to remove it from the handbook > as well. As the handbook says, it's not necessary -- in fact just emerging a > kernel package _does_ "ensure proper creation of the /usr/src/linux symlink." > > Therefore, why keep it if you already get it? Such redundancy is unneeded, > because the handbook's procedure is assuming a first-time install, with no > preexisting symlink. Funny, you didn't object when you wrote the patch. Bug #118031 We'll have to remove the flag when it has disappeared. Is it the symlink USE flag that will be removed from the kernel packages, or the symlink behaviour? What are we gonna get? No more symlink? Symlink on first kernel package only? Always symlink to last emerged kernel?
(In reply to comment #6) > Funny, you didn't object when you wrote the patch. Bug #118031 Eh, it was going to be included; I saw the need to help, so I did it. > We'll have to remove the flag when it has disappeared. > Is it the symlink USE flag that will be removed from the kernel packages, or > the symlink behaviour? The USE flag itself will be removed from the packages. I'd hope that the behavior wouldn't change at all, as it works quite nicely as-is: fresh install, it symlinks for you, but remerging or upgrading means the user still has to run eselect or ln -sfn. Kernel team, you guys planning any actual behavior change, or can I go ahead and remove USE="-doc symlink" from the doc right now?
you can remove it
Thanks for reporting, fixed in CVS. Also, dsd requested that symlink be removed as an integral part of taking out the USE flag from the ebuilds themselves.
