Hi, I am trying to squeeze a system under 512MB and one of the packages pulling lots of other into the dependency tree is mutt: # emerge -uNpv mutt These are the packages that would be merged, in order: Calculating dependencies... done! [ebuild U ] dev-libs/libxml2-2.6.31 [2.6.30-r1] USE="python* readline* -bootstrap -build* -debug -doc -examples% -ipv6 -test" 1,231 kB [ebuild N ] app-misc/mime-types-7 7 kB [ebuild U ] sys-libs/gdbm-1.8.3-r4 [1.8.3-r3] USE="berkdb" 224 kB [ebuild N ] net-mail/mailbase-1 USE="pam" 0 kB [ebuild N ] app-text/build-docbook-catalog-1.2 4 kB [ebuild N ] dev-libs/libgpg-error-1.6 USE="-nls" 374 kB [ebuild N ] app-text/docbook-xsl-stylesheets-1.73.2 1,636 kB [ebuild N ] dev-libs/libgcrypt-1.4.1 USE="-bindist -idea -nls" 947 kB [ebuild N ] dev-libs/libxslt-1.1.23 USE="crypt python -debug -examples" 2,727 kB [ebuild N ] mail-client/mutt-1.5.16 USE="berkdb crypt gdbm ssl -debug -gnutls -gpgme -idn -imap -mbox -nls -nntp -pop -qdbm -sasl -sidebar -smime -smtp -vanilla" 3,509 kB Total: 10 packages (2 upgrades, 8 new), Size of downloads: 10,653 kB I propose having "minimal" same impact as "vanilla": # USE=vanilla emerge -uNpv mutt These are the packages that would be merged, in order: Calculating dependencies... done! [ebuild N ] app-misc/mime-types-7 7 kB [ebuild U ] sys-libs/gdbm-1.8.3-r4 [1.8.3-r3] USE="berkdb" 224 kB [ebuild N ] net-mail/mailbase-1 USE="pam" 0 kB [ebuild R ] sys-devel/libtool-1.5.26 USE="vanilla*" 2,893 kB [ebuild N ] mail-client/mutt-1.5.16 USE="berkdb crypt gdbm ssl vanilla -debug -gnutls -gpgme -idn -imap -mbox -nls -nntp -pop -qdbm -sasl -sidebar -smime -smtp" 3,453 kB Total: 5 packages (1 upgrade, 3 new, 1 reinstall), Size of downloads: 6,575 kB
there is a difference between the "minimal" and the "vanilla" use flag: $ euse -i minimal vanilla global use flags (searching: minimal vanilla) ************************************************************ [- ] minimal - Install a very minimal build (disables, for example, plugins, fonts, most drivers, non-critical features) [- ] vanilla - Do not add extra patches which change default behaviour; DO NOT USE THIS ON A GLOBAL SCALE as the severity of the meaning changes drastically
The vanilla USE flag makes perfect sense here. - ferdy
So, please provide "minimal" support then.
What for? Really... you aren't making any sense. - ferdy
It doesn't make any sense to install libxml2 build-docbook-catalog docbook-xsl-stylesheets libxslt at least for me when I want to read mailer-daemon emails by mutt. ;-) The minimal flag make sense mainly in a site-wide setup when you want to install really tiny server. It is hard to squeeze Gentoo under 512MB and teh "minimal" use flag seems to fit best such needs. Unfortunately, not many packages support it.
It is needed if you have to rebuild documentation which is needed if you are using third-party patches. By setting USE=vanilla you take whatever comes from the tarball (documentation is already built for you). If you want to squeeze it further, only set USE=vanilla and unset the rest. That should give you a pretty nice, tiny, mail reader. You can add imap, pop and smtp USE flags for free. But really... there is no 'minimal' mutt build. Different people will have different 'minimal' needs. - ferdy
Created attachment 155481 [details, diff] mutt-1.5.16.ebuild.patch I know, but still having it support "minimal" in whatever way would be fine. I really want just a reader and at such case I don't care about having no extra patches. So, in my eyes the "minimal" is same like vanilla. The point is that your never know in a large install/update which package kicked in so many extra dependencies. An untested example is attached. I am just not sure if I picked up the correct logical OR or not but hope you get what I mean.
I know what you mean. And I don't agree with that notion of minimal, moreover, I don't think there's room for a 'minimal' flag in mutt. - ferdy
