so i emerged x11-libs/libfm-9999, then x11-misc/pcmanfm-1.1.0-r1 and then I try to downgrade x11-libs/libfm-1.1.0-r1 and I get this helix ~ # emerge -1av =x11-libs/libfm-1.1.0-r1 These are the packages that would be merged, in order: Calculating dependencies... done! [ebuild UD ] x11-libs/libfm-1.1.0-r1:0/4.1.1 [9999:0/4.0.0] USE="-debug -doc -examples -vala" 0 kB Total: 1 package (1 downgrade), Size of downloads: 0 kB !!! Multiple package instances within a single package slot have been pulled !!! into the dependency graph, resulting in a slot conflict: x11-libs/libfm:0 (x11-libs/libfm-9999::gentoo, installed) pulled in by >=x11-libs/libfm-1.1.0:0/4.0.0= required by (x11-misc/pcmanfm-1.1.0-r1::gentoo, installed) (x11-libs/libfm-1.1.0-r1::gentoo, ebuild scheduled for merge) pulled in by =x11-libs/libfm-1.1.0-r1 I believe portage should allowed me to explicitly downgrade the library without marking the newest version first.
If we translate the argument into an implicit mask for the higher unmatching versions in the same slot, then that should solve it.
*** Bug 500884 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
I would too like this behavior to be fixed.