When I have installed, updated or removed files via portage, I always have to update the locate database to get an accurate view on the altered filesystem. Wouldn't it be an idea if you could tell emerge to update it for you, just the parts that it changes? If it removes a file, it removes it fromt he database, if it adds one it adds it to the database, if the user wants it to. The highest percentage of changes made to my file system is made by emerge, and it's roughly over 100 GB of data to update with updatedb every time I have installed something. That would save a lot of time and make it all a bit more userfriendly, I think.
Now if I could find some information on the format of the slocate database ...
No. It's frontenc'd and lots of other unpleasant things. This would basically require rerunning updatedb every time you do a portage operation.
