Actual output from emerge: # emerge -C sys-devel/gcc:{6.4.0,7.3.0} * This action can remove important packages! In order to be safer, use * `emerge -pv --depclean <atom>` to check for reverse dependencies before * removing packages. sys-devel/gcc selected: 6.4.0-r1 protected: none omitted: 4.5.4-r2 4.9.4-r1 5.4.0-r4 6.5.0-r1 7.4.0-r2 8.2.0-r6 8.3.0-r1 sys-devel/gcc selected: 7.3.0-r3 protected: none omitted: 4.5.4-r2 4.9.4-r1 5.4.0-r4 6.5.0-r1 7.4.0-r2 8.2.0-r6 8.3.0-r1 All selected packages: =sys-devel/gcc-7.3.0-r3 =sys-devel/gcc-6.4.0-r1 >>> 'Selected' packages are slated for removal. >>> 'Protected' and 'omitted' packages will not be removed. Expected output from emerge: # emerge -C sys-devel/gcc:{6.4.0,7.3.0} * This action can remove important packages! In order to be safer, use * `emerge -pv --depclean <atom>` to check for reverse dependencies before * removing packages. sys-devel/gcc selected: 6.4.0-r1 7.3.0-r3 protected: none omitted: 4.5.4-r2 4.9.4-r1 5.4.0-r4 6.5.0-r1 7.4.0-r2 8.2.0-r6 8.3.0-r1 All selected packages: =sys-devel/gcc-7.3.0-r3 =sys-devel/gcc-6.4.0-r1 >>> 'Selected' packages are slated for removal. >>> 'Protected' and 'omitted' packages will not be removed.
The unmerge list is ordered, so that packages are not unmerged before their dependencies (which can matter for pkg_prerm and pkg_postrm phases). The split output in the display is a result of the ordered list (unmerge order is visible).