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Date:      Tue, 15 Mar 2005 16:56:17 -0500 (EST)
From:      Chuck Robey <chuckr@chuckr.org>
To:        Andy Fawcett <andy@athame.co.uk>
Cc:        freebsd-ports@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: complaint
Message-ID:  <20050315164021.C84655@april.chuckr.org>
In-Reply-To: <200503152304.05248.andy@athame.co.uk>
References:  <20050315145741.H84655@april.chuckr.org> <200503152304.05248.andy@athame.co.uk>

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On Tue, 15 Mar 2005, Andy Fawcett wrote:

> On Tuesday 15 March 2005 22:05, Chuck Robey wrote:
> > I have not complained aobout this for some years now, although it's really
> > and truly been a thorn in my side ... but I thought, well, I am probably
> > OK to complain once per decade.  Here is my bitch:
> >
> > Refers to ports that include the kitchen sink, and DON'T do it as options.
> > The one that caused me to really bitch this time is gnome, and it's the
> > printing option, but it's the same with KDE: they both FORCE you to
> > install CUPS, which I abhor, and have the most horrible time with.
>
> x11/kdelibs3-nocups is a drop-in replacement for x11/kdelibs3.
>
> next problem?

That's an answer to a single one.  Did you notice the answer I gave to the
gnome responder (I have to apologize right now, I can't remember names.
I'm 'me' but beyond that, I get a bit hazy.  You're 'you', right?) Anyhow,
for gnome, he said that *somewhere* in one of the ports, it did have a
PRINT option (he did give more info), but since it wasn't advertised in
the gnome2 port, well, it wasn't much use to folks.

The point is, there is no organized rule to follow, like some standard
naming rule to non-options, so there is nowhere for users to be able to
make educated guesses about where the options ought to be.

My own suggestion?  Every port have an OPTIONS list, which is a variable
that lists EVERY available makefile option, and naming be such that their
use should be opbvious.  Maybe, if it's not going too far, add a target
that lists, port by port, the available options.  I personally think we
should have fewer ports of higher quality.

In the past, I have occaisonally volunteered to do a category, but 8000
ports?  I dunno, I'm not that big a liar.

It's maybe indicative of my thinking that I think we ought to have a
kde3-addcups port, which would add cups to an existing kde port, but NOT
have a single kde port that actually installed everything and cups along
with it.  I am too busy right now to work on kde, and I don't think that
particular feeling is so important that it shouldbe listened to.

>
> A.
>
>

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Chuck Robey         | Interests include C & Java programming, FreeBSD,
chuckr@chuckr.org   | electronics, communications, and SF/Fantasy.

New Year's Resolution:  I will not sphroxify gullible people into looking up
fictitious words in the dictionary (on the wall at my old fraternity,
Signa Phi Nothing).
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