Bug 142270 – faq.xml: add description about stable/unstable/masked packages

• Product: [OLD] Docs on www.gentoo.org
• Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

[Description Peter Kovacs 2006-07-31 05:24:55 UTC]

Hello,

I think our faq lacks the most essential qustion on portage. Some people seem to forget the warnings in the installation Handbook far to soon. It is not easy to say them afterwards whats good and what is not. Maybe some simple explenations in the FAQ qould ease all these discussions. I tried to formulate what I am thinking at. So you have something to start with. Hope it helps. I think it is quite important to publish the guidlines that I heared exist too. So the hole system gets more transparent.
Please check the stuff I have written, because I just have tried to write down what I remeber what I am told of why and how. Umm and I hope you take no offense if it is in the faq and I just did not find it. (I think not. :D )

What is Stable package?
 The package has been tested and is secure for productive use.

Why is a stable package?
 It becomes stable when it has an maintainer for the ebuild and went through a  bugfree time of one month.

What is an unstable package?
 A unstable package is a package in testing phase. There are risks involved in useing this package. It is not save to use exept you know what you are doing.

Why can a package be unstable?
It could be that a package has serious problems, or is not long enough inportage.
A package needs to be bugfree in portage for a month to become stable.
Or it does not have any maintainers which makes the future of the package unceratin.

What are mask packages?
Masked packages are mostly packages under heavy development and ment for these developers only. The packages are almost certain to break at a point and only ment to be used if you are developing.
It could also be that a serious bug makes the package unuseable for most type of users.

When is a package masked?
Uhh dono what to say here.


ty
Peter
------
Keep misspells, I have no use for them ;)

[Comment 1 Łukasz Damentko (RETIRED) 2006-08-09 15:47:07 UTC]

Ebuild gets package masked when it was just added for testing, when it's proven to be broken, when it has security problems or when its removal is pending. In none of above situations ordinary users should install such package.

[Comment 2 nm (RETIRED) 2006-08-29 10:38:49 UTC]

This is already in the Portage Handbook, which is the best place to look for explanations on the heart of Gentoo, and answers to such basic questions as the ones you pose.

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-hppa.xml?part=3&chap=3

I don't think we need to have a lot of duplicated information lying about the place.

[Comment 3 Peter Kovacs 2006-08-29 12:22:14 UTC]

Nope. Information I want is not there.

It is not about giving the people a hand about makeing choices.
This is about explaining in a most general way how the system works.

Please explain with the text above and without bringing a good lough why the latest wine is marked unstable but the first recommendation in every source is to update to latest unstable version.

You wont be able to. The explanation of the devs is:
They feel it needs testing. Thats a joke not explanation.
The correct answer is:
A package that enters the portage has to be bugfree for ... time.

I mean you need to tell the people why happens what. We have general rules about when a package is changeing to stable when it is considered as masked and so on.
This is know stuff to devs and people in close surroundings to development.
But most users this is a secret. And if you do not want to obscure gentoo Development this general guidlines have to be published in order to get the community involved.

This is of course a complete other view then pointed out in the Handbook, where the focus in what it is wise to aim at and to choose. This means the things I want do not belong there, and IMHO the right place would be the FAQ. If you come up with another refernce in docs thats fine.

Thanks
Peter

[Comment 4 nm (RETIRED) 2006-09-04 02:25:33 UTC]

As stated before, all the answers to your questions are answered in other documents; you just need to search. In fact, they're all answered in *user*-oriented documents.

A good place to see them is the Developer Handbook, which of course has most everything you'd need to know -- how's that for keeping development open? :)

But the documentation developers have made a point of making sure that questions like this have been addressed elsewhere long before users have to track down developer-oriented docs.

[Comment 5 Peter Kovacs 2006-09-04 03:23:19 UTC]

No you are wrong.
What I want cant be in documentation, because we have no standards on package decisions. What I want to point out. If a package put on stable right away it is as correct at the moment as if it is put in unstable first.
Accordingly to what I know it is also valid for a packge to stay stable even if it  is completly broke.
And this is what the lines said that you have pointed to. And this is a broke statement. I hope thats clear. :)

I will file the correct bug in a while. I just want to wait if the bug fixes by "itself". :D Can I use the clone function for it then?

Never the less it would be nice if the documentation project would not deal with this as not my problem sympton. We do need such rules.
(RESOLVED WONTFIX means dont care to me ;) )


Thanks.
Peter

[Comment 6 Jakub Moc (RETIRED) 2006-09-04 03:38:12 UTC]

Do a bit of research before filing bugs, please.

http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/devrel/handbook/handbook.xml?part=3&chap=1#doc_chap4

[Comment 7 Xavier Neys (RETIRED) 2006-09-04 03:50:19 UTC]

(In reply to comment #5)
> What I want cant be in documentation

That settles it then. Why you bother filing bugs if you already know it can't be in documentation escapes me.

> (RESOLVED WONTFIX means dont care to me ;) )

WONTFIX means no more and no less than "we shan't fix it". Renaming to CLOSEDWITHOUTANYFURTHERACTIONFROMOURPART would not be convenient.
Feel free to interpret and extrapolate any way you want.

[Comment 8 Peter Kovacs 2006-09-04 04:45:49 UTC]

I searched twice in the first place.
Then I filed the bug.
When first closure came I asked userrep for help.
He asked devs, and did come back with the not existing answer.

Now the information is there.

I am sorry this is going so weired. But I realy thought the information is missing.

> WONTFIX means no more and no less than "we shan't fix it". Renaming to
> CLOSEDWITHOUTANYFURTHERACTIONFROMOURPART would not be convenient.
The big letter parts are equal. I think you missed the point.

But never mind. Issue is tabled.
Thanks the help. Next time I will only find a bug if I am not alone thinking something wrong here.

Cherio ;)
Peter