It has been my experience (did not report this) and that of at least one other user that altering the USE= setting at Stage 2 to include an ambitious list of variables will result in a failed install. The most recent case (see below) is related to USE=java enabled, but I have seen other failures. It is my conjecture (based on negative experience) that the bootstrapped system (installed by Stage 1 emerge sync and bootstrap.sh or untarred from a Stage2 tarball) isn't really a fully capable system and should only be used to perform a plain vanilla 'emerge system' (USE=""), but the Handbook does not make this clear. If I am wrong, then why did I and the current user experience failures? If I am right, the documentation needs to be more clear and the discussion of USE variables postponed until Stage 3 or restrictions clearly stated. If I am wrong, then there needs to be better testing of running a lot of USE= (especially USE=java) combinations from a Stage2 system. Reproducible: Didn't try Steps to Reproduce: 1. Perform Stage1 install and emerge sync, or start with Stage2 2. Add a lot of USE= settings (exp. USE="java..." 3. emerge system Actual Results: Failure in some emerge during 'emerge system' (emerge db or other package) Expected Results: Success, but the currently running bootstrapped system does not appear to be capable of doing what it is asked to do. Please refer to the recent gentoo-user thread "Clean stage2-db-4.1.25 fails". I am not the user reporting the failure; no additional info is available. I am asking the current user to add more information.
It needs to be tested more thoroughly, although that isn't a sinecure. Many packages in the system are affected by USE settings. It isn't a documentation bug however: the system should never break, whatever USE setting you have.
