Particularly where large ebuilds like kde, glibc and mozilla, there should be a command line or make.conf option that allows for the administrator to exclude portage revision updates (-r?) from an update world operation. For example, with the flag enabled, an emerge -u world would not update kdebase-3.3.0-r1 to kdebase-3.3.0-r2, but it would allow an upgrade from kdebase-3.3.0-r1 to kdebase-3.3.1-r2. Exceptions could be allowed on a package by package basis (in a file such as /etc/portage/package.revision, command line flag or make.conf option) or when explicitly stating the ebuild on the command line (=kde-base/kdebase-3.3.0-r2, make.conf option). Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. n/a 2. 3. Actual Results: Normally, Portage will update an unmasked application regardless of portage release level. Expected Results: n/a
i think you can exclude such updates via package.mask and so on. just give it a shot :)
use /etc/portage/profile/package.provided ... see `man 5 portage` for more info
Make that package.mask, as the intention of package.provided is to allow users to manage certain pieces of software *at all*. Seeing you have kdebase-3.3.0-r1 installed by portage and you want to prevent it from upgrading, all you need to do is "mask" the upgrade. You don't want to lie to portage by telling it's "provided" already.
... certain pieces of software <insert>without using portage</insert> *at all* ...
