Bug 103054 – sys-apps/file depends of python even when using -python due to unconditional inheritance of distutils

• Product: Gentoo Linux
• Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

[Description Alexandru Toma 2005-08-19 05:39:16 UTC]

If I try to upgrade file I get the following which is normal.

cloud distfiles # USE="python" emerge -up file

These are the packages that I would merge, in order:

Calculating dependencies ...done!
[ebuild     U ] sys-libs/readline-5.0-r2 [4.3-r5] 
[ebuild     U ] sys-devel/flex-2.5.4a-r6 [2.5.4a-r5] 
[ebuild     U ] sys-devel/bc-1.06-r6 [1.06-r5] 
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/diffutils-2.8.7-r1 [2.8.7] 
[ebuild     U ] sys-devel/libperl-5.8.6-r1 [5.8.5] 
[ebuild     U ] dev-lang/perl-5.8.6-r5 [5.8.5-r5] 
[ebuild     U ] dev-libs/openssl-0.9.7e-r1 [0.9.7e] 
[ebuild  N    ] app-admin/perl-cleaner-1.01  
[ebuild     U ] sys-libs/zlib-1.2.3 [1.2.2] 
[ebuild     U ] dev-lang/python-2.3.5 [2.3.4-r1] 
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/file-4.13 [4.12]

However, if I use -python, portage still wants to upgrade python even if the
packages doesn't depend on it anymore due to the -python USE flag.

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1. USE="-python" emerge -up file
2.
3.

Actual Results:  
cloud distfiles # USE="-python" emerge -up file

These are the packages that I would merge, in order:

Calculating dependencies ...done!
[ebuild     U ] sys-libs/readline-5.0-r2 [4.3-r5] 
[ebuild     U ] sys-devel/flex-2.5.4a-r6 [2.5.4a-r5] 
[ebuild     U ] sys-devel/bc-1.06-r6 [1.06-r5] 
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/diffutils-2.8.7-r1 [2.8.7] 
[ebuild     U ] sys-devel/libperl-5.8.6-r1 [5.8.5] 
[ebuild     U ] dev-lang/perl-5.8.6-r5 [5.8.5-r5] 
[ebuild     U ] dev-libs/openssl-0.9.7e-r1 [0.9.7e] 
[ebuild  N    ] app-admin/perl-cleaner-1.01  
[ebuild     U ] sys-libs/zlib-1.2.3 [1.2.2] 
[ebuild     U ] dev-lang/python-2.3.5 [2.3.4-r1] 
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/file-4.13 [4.12]

Expected Results:  
cloud distfiles # USE="-python" emerge -up file

These are the packages that I would merge, in order:

Calculating dependencies ...done!
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/file-4.13 [4.12]

Portage 2.0.51.22-r2 (default-linux/x86/2005.0, gcc-3.3.5-20050130,
glibc-2.3.5-r1, 2.6.11-gentoo-r5 i686)
=================================================================
System uname: 2.6.11-gentoo-r5 i686 AMD Athlon(tm) XP 1800+
Gentoo Base System version 1.4.16
dev-lang/python:     2.3.4-r1
sys-apps/sandbox:    1.2.10
sys-devel/autoconf:  2.13, 2.59-r6
sys-devel/automake:  1.4_p6, 1.5, 1.6.3, 1.7.9-r1, 1.8.5-r3, 1.9.5
sys-devel/binutils:  2.15.92.0.2-r7
sys-devel/libtool:   1.5.18-r1
virtual/os-headers:  2.6.8.1-r2
ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="x86"
AUTOCLEAN="yes"
CBUILD="i686-pc-linux-gnu"
CFLAGS="-march=athlon-xp -O2 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer"
CHOST="i686-pc-linux-gnu"
CONFIG_PROTECT="/etc /usr/kde/2/share/config /usr/kde/3/share/config
/usr/lib/X11/xkb /usr/share/config /var/qmail/control"
CONFIG_PROTECT_MASK="/etc/gconf /etc/terminfo /etc/env.d"
CXXFLAGS="-march=athlon-xp -O2 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer"
DISTDIR="/usr/portage/distfiles"
FEATURES="autoconfig distlocks sandbox sfperms strict"
GENTOO_MIRRORS="ftp://ftp.roedu.net/pub/mirrors/gentoo.org
http://gentoo.oregonstate.edu"
PKGDIR="/usr/portage/packages"
PORTAGE_TMPDIR="/var/tmp"
PORTDIR="/usr/portage"
PORTDIR_OVERLAY="/usr/local/portage"
SYNC="rsync://rsync2.ro.gentoo.org/gentoo-portage"
USE="x86 3dnow 3dnowext X aalib alsa apm avi bitmap-fonts cdr crypt cups curl
eds emboss encode faac faad fam flac foomaticdb fortran gd geoip gif gphoto2 gpm
gstreamer gtk2 guile imlib imlib2 jikes jpeg lcms libcaca libwww lzo mad
matroska mikmod mmx mmx2 mmxext mng motif mp3 mpeg mysql ncurses network nls
no_wxgtk1 ogg oggvorbis opengl pam png postgres python quicktime readline rtc
ruby sdl slang spell sse ssl tcpd tga theora tiff truetype truetype-fonts
type1-fonts vorbis xchatdccserver xml2 xmms xprint xv xvid zlib userland_GNU
kernel_linux elibc_glibc"
Unset:  ASFLAGS, CTARGET, LANG, LC_ALL, LDFLAGS, LINGUAS, MAKEOPTS

[Comment 1 Stephen Bennett (RETIRED) 2005-08-19 05:43:21 UTC]

You misunderstand how USE flags work. They're for controlling optional
dependencies, and won't affect anything when a package always depends on another.

[Comment 2 Stephen Bennett (RETIRED) 2005-08-19 05:47:27 UTC]

Perhaps to clarify, python is an unconditional dep elsewhere in the dep tree.
Unless I'm not thinking properly.

[Comment 3 Alexandru Toma 2005-08-19 05:54:10 UTC]

Well, I think I know how USE flags are supposed to work.

However, the only dependency of file is this one:
DEPEND="!build? ( python? ( virtual/python ) )"

So there is no other dependency tree.


However, you are right. I thought this was a portage bug but its a bug in the
file ebuild. It inherits distutils unconditionally and that makes it always
depend on python, even when using -python.

[Comment 4 Alexandru Toma 2005-08-19 05:56:48 UTC]

Reopening in order to assign to bug-wranglers

[Comment 5 Stephen Bennett (RETIRED) 2005-08-19 06:01:59 UTC]

Yeah, sorry if I was a bit trigger-happy on the 'assume the user is stupid'
thing. It happens a bit too much these days. ;)

[Comment 6 Alexandru Toma 2005-08-19 06:07:55 UTC]

No problem ;) I too should have investigated things a little more before
posting. Sorry for all the mess in reassigning the bug.

[Comment 7 SpanKY 2005-08-19 09:09:11 UTC]

removed python from DEPEND

[Comment 8 Alexandru Toma 2005-08-19 11:58:04 UTC]

You seem to have misunderstood this bug report. Please read it again.

The problem is that the file ebuild depends on python even when using "-python"
in the use flags which should disable this dependency.

The change you have commited doesn't "fix" the bug in any way... The "actual
results" as mentioned in the first comment are still the same.

[Comment 9 SpanKY 2005-08-19 13:39:07 UTC]

lemme rephrase

we could:
- remove all python support
- add 'use python && inherit distutils'
- ignore the issue since it doesnt seem to be a real important one

i'm going with the last one

[Comment 10 Alexandru Toma 2005-08-19 15:00:36 UTC]

Why don't you use the second option you have mentioned. It's just a line and it
would fix the problem. I don't think you should ignore the problem especially
when the fix is so simple.

The problem might not be important but it's really annoying (at least to me).
Every time I want to "emerge -u something" that has file somewhere in the
dependency tree (and a lot of packages do), I end up having to upgrade python
and a slew of other packages as well.

So let me end by saying this: Please fix this bug if the fix is so simple ;)

[Comment 11 SpanKY 2005-08-19 15:12:32 UTC]

the 2nd one is wrong, it breaks portage caching mechanisms