From owner-freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG  Sat Sep  7 22:13:15 2013
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [8.8.178.115])
 (using TLSv1 with cipher ADH-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits))
 (No client certificate requested)
 by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 11EB9262
 for <freebsd-ports@freebsd.org>; Sat,  7 Sep 2013 22:13:15 +0000 (UTC)
 (envelope-from mailnull@mips.inka.de)
Received: from mail-in-07.arcor-online.net (mail-in-07.arcor-online.net
 [151.189.21.47])
 (using TLSv1 with cipher ADH-CAMELLIA256-SHA (256/256 bits))
 (No client certificate requested)
 by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id B9FB12818
 for <freebsd-ports@freebsd.org>; Sat,  7 Sep 2013 22:13:14 +0000 (UTC)
Received: from mail-in-10-z2.arcor-online.net (mail-in-10-z2.arcor-online.net
 [151.189.8.27]) by mx.arcor.de (Postfix) with ESMTP id D66B9107A89
 for <freebsd-ports@freebsd.org>; Sat,  7 Sep 2013 23:42:13 +0200 (CEST)
Received: from mail-in-04.arcor-online.net (mail-in-04.arcor-online.net
 [151.189.21.44])
 by mail-in-10-z2.arcor-online.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id D0BCD46E026
 for <freebsd-ports@freebsd.org>; Sat,  7 Sep 2013 23:42:13 +0200 (CEST)
X-Greylist: Passed host: 88.67.124.253
X-DKIM: Sendmail DKIM Filter v2.8.2 mail-in-04.arcor-online.net BA060A9D09
Received: from lorvorc.mips.inka.de (dslb-088-067-124-253.pools.arcor-ip.net
 [88.67.124.253])
 by mail-in-04.arcor-online.net (Postfix) with ESMTPS id BA060A9D09
 for <freebsd-ports@freebsd.org>; Sat,  7 Sep 2013 23:42:13 +0200 (CEST)
Received: from lorvorc.mips.inka.de (localhost [127.0.0.1])
 by lorvorc.mips.inka.de (8.14.7/8.14.7) with ESMTP id r87LgDSY019944
 for <freebsd-ports@freebsd.org>; Sat, 7 Sep 2013 23:42:13 +0200 (CEST)
 (envelope-from mailnull@lorvorc.mips.inka.de)
Received: (from mailnull@localhost)
 by lorvorc.mips.inka.de (8.14.7/8.14.7/Submit) id r87LgDlb019943
 for freebsd-ports@freebsd.org; Sat, 7 Sep 2013 23:42:13 +0200 (CEST)
 (envelope-from mailnull)
From: naddy@mips.inka.de (Christian Weisgerber)
Subject: bsd.port.pre.mk vs bsd.port.options.mk
Date: Sat, 7 Sep 2013 21:42:13 +0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: <l0g6jl$jf0$1@lorvorc.mips.inka.de>
Originator: naddy@mips.inka.de (Christian Weisgerber)
To: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org
X-BeenThere: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14
Precedence: list
List-Id: Porting software to FreeBSD <freebsd-ports.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/options/freebsd-ports>,
 <mailto:freebsd-ports-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-ports>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-ports@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-ports-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-ports>,
 <mailto:freebsd-ports-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 22:13:15 -0000

I have port that does something like

    .include <bsd.port.pre.mk>

    .if ${ARCH} == ...
    ...
    .endif

    .include <bsd.port.post.mk>

A while back somebody submitted a PR asking me to replace bsd.port.pre.mk
with bsd.port.options.mk, because it also makes ARCH available and
is far less expensive.

Now, a priori it is not clear to me that including options.mk is
actually cheaper than pre.mk.  And it seems odd to include options.mk
but then not use any part of the options framework.  The Porter's
Handbook explicitly mentions ARCH as one of the variables provided
by pre.mk.

What's the preferred way to handle this?

-- 
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber                          naddy@mips.inka.de