app-admin/sxid-4.2r2 .ebuild has RDEPEND=virtual/mailx, which then pulls in mailutils and nullmailer. The program is capable of being compiled without this, as is, with no code changes. After simply deleting RDEPEND=virtual/mailx , the configure script and compile process is very happy to complete successfully. It just hardcodes a path of /usr/bin/mail. The program also includes a runtime parameter: the -n option, which just outputs to stdout instead of using the mail program. Running the program without any arguments just produces a standard error of: /usr/bin/mail No such file or directory. (Ideally the default behavior and messages could be improved with a patch, but the software is very old and other things should be fixed with the configure scripts too, but that is neither here nor there) I hereby suggest the "+mail" USE flag be added, enabled by default, as the means by which the virtual/mailx dependency is pulled in. That way someone can opt to disable the flag and use it as a standalone binary with the -n option. Finding out about the the -n "no Mail" option will be easy if you run --help. Portage can spit out a helpful "elog" message telling you to do this if you manually disable the flag. These fixes/enhancements can be handled in the ebuild itself with minimal effort. I have included 2 attachments: 1 - Emerge showing the dependency tree it pulls in by default, along with command lines showing the program being run with --help , default, and -n options (for reference). 2 - The entire build log completing successfully when RDEPEND=virtual/mailx is commented out (proof of success). Reproducible: Always
Created attachment 750501 [details] Emerge showing the dependency tree it pulls in by default, along with command lines showing the program being run with --help , default, and -n options (for reference).
Created attachment 750504 [details] successful build log with RDEPEND=virtual/mailx commented out
That usage of USE flags is not allowed. You can use /etc/portage/profile/package.provided to prevent virtual/mailx from being pulled in.
Created attachment 750510 [details, diff] Diff .patch to the ebuild , enhancement complete, request for submission Signed-off-by: genBTC <genBTC@gmx.com> +mail USE flag added Helpful elog information messages changed/added
