I suggest adding 7zip USE flag to kde-base/ark which would pull app-arch/p7zip as runtime dependency. Background: Without app-arch/p7zip installed trying to open a 7zip archive resulted in an error: "The utility 7zr is not in your PATH. Please install it or contact your system administrator." With app-arch/p7zip installed the file opened just fine.
Use flags for optional runtime dependencies are pointless. I've updated the post install message to include app-arch/p7zip, though.
> Use flags for optional runtime dependencies are pointless. I'm sorry, but it's not. Seeing use flag, making much simpler to find additional features of application, without googling "how to" or "why it's not working". And honestly, not everyone every time reading post install message. Yeah it's wrong, but it's happening. Messages is like small stars description under advert, use flag is a big font near the price seeing to everyone. And it's cleaning one package from world. Cause i don't need p7zip itself, i need it as part of 7z support in ark. It's not critical for me, as i have it already installed. But imho it's exactly the case of "usability" of system: easier to find and control feature.
This is an old issue with KDE and you can find a lot more recent bug reports about this. The issue is that many KDE packages have quite a few optional run-time dependencies. If we were to add a use flag to each, we would certainly need to add hundreds of use flags to tenths of packages.
You right. It's issue of a lot packages, and a lot of job to set up everything. But imho it's the only right choice. Both user-friendly (use flag is easier-to-use, than post install message) and technically (putting application in world, not dependency). Only stopper i see, is that it'll require a lot of work. But why at least not to start the process ?
