Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2003 17:03:37 -0700 From: Michael Collette <metrol@metrol.net> To: Will Andrews <will@csociety.org>, Mark Linimon <linimon@lonesome.com> Cc: kde@freebsd.org Subject: Re: [kde-freebsd] Re: HEADS UP: Big change to x11/kde3 (Read carefully!) Message-ID: <200306021703.37176.metrol@metrol.net> In-Reply-To: <20030602233551.GC81874@procyon.firepipe.net> References: <20030602231303.GA28072@rot13.obsecurity.org> <Pine.LNX.4.44.0306021824010.29494-100000@pancho> <20030602233551.GC81874@procyon.firepipe.net>
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On Monday 02 June 2003 04:35 pm, Will Andrews wrote:
> On Mon, Jun 02, 2003 at 06:26:57PM -0500, Mark Linimon wrote:
> > On Mon, Jun 02, 2003 at 08:24:02PM +0200, Michael Nottebrock wrote:
> > > The latest update to x11/kde3 (the metaport for KDE) makes this port
> > > pull in ALL modules of KDE by default. This means, if you have x11/kde3
> > > installed and
> >
> > Kris Kennaway replied:
> > > What is the motivation behind this? I'm thinking in particular of
> > > package users, who will now have no way to get a minimal kde install
> > > without adding each individual package by hand.
> >
> > I'm going to weigh in with kris here as this seems to violate POLA.
> > Perhaps a new meta-port kde3-full (or
> > kde3-all|kde3-extended|kde-enhanced) should be created to hold the new
> > stuff.
>
> The problem is, everyone has their pet peeve about the meta-port:
> they don't want one of {koffice,kdegames,kdeutils,kdepim,...}.
> Our response to solve this is to make it depend on everything by
> default. Sure we could make a zillion more meta-ports but
> there's really no good reason to. There's always kdebase for
> people that want a minimal install, and custom installs can be
> done by adding the other parts the user wants. Or just
> everything with the meta-port. The meta-port was *never* a
> minimal install, by the way. Not once in the 3-4 years I've been
> maintaining the KDE ports was it ever. In fact, up until 2.2 or
> so, it WAS everything in KDE. This restores that behavior, which
> was changed for release engineering reasons only (re@ now uses
> kdebase on disc1 releases).
>
> Regards,
Just to really throw a monkey wrench into things...
How about a port install similar to PHP's? For those that haven't run it,
prior to the compilation the user is presented with a list of features that
you'd like to have compiled in. The selections vary the config variables, as
well as the dependancies.
What the PHP port doesn't have to deal with are the pkg_plists that can be
wildly different depending on how you tweak it. PHP is always going to
install the same files to the same places. Certainly that wouldn't be the
case for KDE. There's more than a trivial complication tossed into the mix.
The only real advantage to the big Meta port is being able to set it running
and come back many hours later to a pretty complete KDE desktop. If it
weren't such a massive compile job, nobody would care one way or the other
about about a Meta port.
As for myself, I rather like the Meta port as it is. My only gripe would be
KOffice. My reasoning:
1. It's a massive compilation job all by itself. It is it's own suite.
2. It doesn't track with KDE versioning.
a. When KDE needs updating, KOffice doesn't.
b. When KOffice needs updating, KDE doesn't.
c. No other KDE package mentioned has this caveat.
3. It's a long way from being ready for regular use.
Please note, I do not "hate" KOffice. On the contrary, I rather like those
apps that make it up. I'm rather fond of the layout approach that KWord has
taken. I sincerely look forward to it reaching a point where I'd feel
comfortable using it daily, or providing to an end user.
I just don't feel that it's as integral a part of KDE like Konqueror, KMail,
or even KDEPim. It is a very interesting set of software that's built on
KDE's technology. Along those lines, it seems to me that it should be a
stand alone port, just like any other piece of software relying on KDE but
not a part of the regular KDE packages.
Later on,
--
"Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why.
Then do it."
- Robert A. Heinlein
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