In my opinion, slocate should not be part of the "system" group. It's a specific application to search for files on your filesystem (as far as I know - correct me if I'm wrong), and unless I'm mistaken it isn't needed for the regular operation of Gentoo. The same functionality is available through "find", and some, including myself, prefer find because it doesn't have to create a database first. I had been trying to figure out what was causing my hard drive to churn like crazy every once in a while when I didn't even touch anything, and was annoyed to discover that it was slocate building a database once a day that I've never even used. Please consider this, especially since Gentoo is about choices. Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. 2. 3.
Our default x86 profile mostly targets desktop users, which is why slocate is in. However, since 'Gentoo is about choice' (it is? I must've missed that memo...), we let you override profiles with /etc/portage/profiles/ or remove the crontab entry if you don't like it. You might also consider filing bugs for individual archs, but we're not going to remove it globally. Sorry.
> Our default x86 profile mostly targets desktop users, which is why slocate is in. I don't understand this. What does slocate have to do with desktop users? > However, since 'Gentoo is about choice' (it is? I must've missed that memo...) It's at the start of the Handbook. :) "Users not familiar with Gentoo do not always know that choice is what Gentoo is all about." Anyway it seems like "system", for simplicity, should contain only what's needed for the system to operate, rather than applications that actually do something that the user cares about.
> we let you override profiles with /etc/portage/profiles/ Let me make sure I understand what you mean here. Are you suggesting I mask the slocate package by creating a file: /etc/portage/profiles/package.mask then putting one line in that file which says: slocate ? If so, I think the file is now /etc/portage/package.mask, as the following thread says: http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=33534
No, I'm not suggesting you package.mask it. I'm suggesting you override the packages file.
Ciaran, I think Adam has a good question. What does slocate have to do with desktop users? I don't think I personally understand why it's in the profiles. Certainly the system would function just fine without it, in every regard.
> No, I'm not suggesting you package.mask it. I'm suggesting you override the packages file. What's a packages file? (Sorry, I'm relatively new to Gentoo). On my system there is no such thing as /etc/portage/profiles/.
Aron -- well personally I agree, and I'd remove it from the sparc profiles if someone asked nicely. However, concensus on #gentoo-dev was that it wasn't going to be removed globally, and especially not for x86.
I've removed them from the alpha and ia64 profiles. I don't think I'll get any complaints ;-)
I've removed it from the sparc profiles as well.
> concensus on #gentoo-dev was that it wasn't going to be removed globally, and especially not for x86. Could you please put a link to the discussion (if possible) so I and others can see what the reasons were?
#gentoo-dev is an irc channel
um, who was against moving it out of x86? it's avenj's call on this, but I personally don't see any issues with removing slocate from the base profiles (it would be a good idea to add into the install doc, a suggestion to emerge it -- again though, slocate isn't required, but I think enough people expect to have it in there at this point, that doc'ing its absence wouldn't be a bad idea). Avenj?
I'm fine with removing it from the profile as long as it's documented in the install guide first. Swift?
I'm happy to document this, although I won't object if it is just removed without further notice. I'm sure the users who want to use it know how to install it and those who don't, well, it's for them that it is removed :) If you really want this documented, please ping me so that the handbook can be updated at the same time as the profile.
I have the change lingering in my to-sent-to-CVS but I must be sure that the profiles don't have it anymore (which is why I hope to commit both documentation and profile changes at the same time).
Sorry, my development machine is currently dead; I'm fine with this change, but can't commit anything to profiles at the moment. Anybody else on base-system want to take care of it?
yep, I got this
it's been removed from all of the cascading profiles for sure and since that will be our profile system for 2004.3, the documentation can go in i think
Done. Marking as fixed.
