--- portage.py.orig	2005-03-28 12:09:22.197908126 +0200
+++ portage.py	2005-03-20 11:49:11.000000000 +0200
@@ -1592,6 +1592,16 @@
 	if listonly or ("distlocks" not in features):
 		use_locks = 0
 
+	fetch_to_ro = 0
+	if "skiprocheck" in features:
+		fetch_to_ro = 1
+
+	if not os.access(mysettings["DISTDIR"],os.W_OK) and fetch_to_ro:
+		if use_locks:
+			writemsg(red("!!! You are fetching to a read-only filesystem, you should turn locking off"));
+			writemsg("!!! This can be done by adding -distlocks to FEATURES in /etc/make.conf");
+#			use_locks = 0
+
 	# local mirrors are always added
 	if custommirrors.has_key("local"):
 		mymirrors += custommirrors["local"]
@@ -1721,8 +1731,9 @@
 
 	can_fetch=True
 	if not os.access(mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/",os.W_OK):
-		print "!!! No write access to %s" % mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/"
-		can_fetch=False
+		if not fetch_to_ro:
+			print "!!! No write access to %s" % mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/"
+			can_fetch=False
 	else:
 		mystat=os.stat(mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/")
 		if mystat.st_gid != portage_gid:
@@ -1834,7 +1845,7 @@
 		
 				# check if we can actually write to the directory/existing file.
 				if fetched!=2 and os.path.exists(mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/"+myfile) != \
-					os.access(mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/"+myfile, os.W_OK):
+					os.access(mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/"+myfile, os.W_OK) and not fetch_to_ro:
 					writemsg(red("***")+" Lack write access to %s, failing fetch\n" % str(mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/"+myfile))
 					fetched=0
 					break
@@ -1862,7 +1873,8 @@
 							myret=spawn(myfetch,mysettings,free=1)
 					finally:
 						#if root, -always- set the perms.
-						if os.path.exists(mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/"+myfile) and (fetched != 1 or os.getuid() == 0):
+						if os.path.exists(mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/"+myfile) and (fetched != 1 or os.getuid() == 0) \
+							and os.access(mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/",os.W_OK):
 							if os.stat(mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/"+myfile).st_gid != portage_gid:
 								try:
 									os.chown(mysettings["DISTDIR"]+"/"+myfile,-1,portage_gid)