USE tag questions

Quitch · Apprentice Joined: 04 Jun 2003 Posts: 151

I'm afraid that I dislike the usual practice of "if you don't know what it does, leave it". I prefer to tweak... that's what Gentoo is all about, right?

Many apologies if I missed the previous topic "So, what's with all the USE tags? part 7". Actually, is there anywhere that provides a REALLY detailed rundown of the USE tags?

Time for the smell of noob (new to Linux in general really). Hold your breath

alsa - I've read about this project, but I'm unsure when it is required. Is it needed for ANY sound or only in certain situations?

foomaticdb - What's this printing driver database and when is it required?

firebird - I use Firebird. What's this relational database?

gdbm - GNU I know, but I'm unsure how database libraries relate or what they're used for. Same for the other GNU USE tags.

gpm - Console based mouse driver? What classes as a console? Does it mean the PC or certain places within the OS?

gtk - Is this needed to make GUI's or to support GUI's made via GIMP?

gtk2 - same as above?

hardened - Enhanced security in certain tools? Drawbacks? Only used in hardened project?

imlib - Required to view any image or all?

ladcca - How does this relate to audio under Gentoo?

lcms - Colour management? Are we talking ICM profiles for monitors or something else?

libg++ - What benefit does this provide?

libgda - gnumeric?

libww - Web API? Needed for browsing or something else?

mad - MP3 decoder library? Meaning decoders would call this, or it stands by itself? What's a CLI frontend?

mikmod - Soundtracker style?

mmx - Still offers benefits under later Pentium chips, or only the original?

That's enough for now. There might be a page or previous topic I missed and I don't want to type forever if that's the case

Quitch · Apprentice Joined: 04 Jun 2003 Posts: 151

I want to build a system that can load X-Windows and fire up programs like OpenOffice.org and Firebird, and maybe play some music. That's as far as I'm taking it for the moment. What USE tags would I need for that?

asgardwarrior · n00b Joined: 07 Apr 2004 Posts: 46

I recently got back into linux so some things were new to me as well. I'll let you know what I know, if I'm wrong let me know.

Alsa - is the replacment for OSS use it as OSS is obsolete.

Firebird - is a relational database, I think you are thinking of firefox from mozilla

gtk and gtk2 - are used by gnome a other programs for the gui aspect. You don't make GUI's from gimp you have to write code to make a GUI, generally.

hardened - is used for a very secure system. There is also a special kernel that is hardened.

mad - I'm guessing here. Should be a decoder that allows you to decode to mp3 formats. CLI frontend is command line, i.e terminal

mmx - use only if you have the older pentiums that used mmx, not needed for the new ones.

Hopefully some of this was usefull.

asgardwarrior · n00b Joined: 07 Apr 2004 Posts: 46

These are the USE variables that I use.

Quitch · Apprentice Joined: 04 Jun 2003 Posts: 151

Ah of course, I forgot Firebird got renamed again... pretty stupid since I have it open right now so should know the name

Does hardened require pics? What's the downside to hardened?

asgardwarrior · n00b Joined: 07 Apr 2004 Posts: 46

I'm not sure about hardened I think it is used for servers that you want a ver secure system. I'm sure you don't need pics for hardened. I would not use hardened for anything but a server.
Take a look at http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/gentoo-kernel.xml for kernel types and what the are good for.

And don't worry about the firebird, firefox thing it took me a while to get it straight.

Quitch · Apprentice Joined: 04 Jun 2003 Posts: 151

Guess I may as well ask the rest (so many tags, so little knowledge):

motif - ???

lesstif - ???

mozilla - Needed for Firefox, or only Mozilla? Required for Mozilla itself, or things which support Mozilla?

mpi - ???

nas - Network sound?

ncurses - I suppose I really need to know what's classed as the console... and what is the display library needed for?

nhc98 - Well, I don't even know when GHC is used, nevermind where this is better.

nls - Required to change languages under things like KDE??

offensive - What classes as an offensive item? Are we talking things like language, or tools which can be used in a malicious way?

perl - Needed to compile items which use perl, or by perl developers?

pic - Required by the hardened tag? What's prelink?

pie - Sounds a bit like pic. Also for security?

postgres - THE postgressql library?

ppds - ?

prelude - I need to read up on prelude?

python - Same as pearl?

qt - ?

readline - Most everyone wants because it's useful, or because it's depended on by other programs?

ruby - Never heard of this language. See pearl and python

samba - Rings a bell... something to do with file sharing? Used for Linux to Windows fileshare communication??

sasl - ?

sdl - ?

slang - Since I don't know what the heck ncurses does...

slp - How does this relate to cups?

socks5 - Does this include authentication, or do the supported authentication methods depend on the app?

spell - Used by things like OpenOffice.org, or do they not require this tag? If not, when is it used?

sse - Same as mmx, only needed by first generation?

sqlite - Embedded in Gentoo or other apps?

svg - ?

svga - Needed for any sort of graphics support?

tcltk - ?

tcpd - Needed for TCP/IP?

tetex - ?

truetype - I have a vague understanding of this, but don't know what Freetype 1 & 2 are

unicode - Oooo, I should know this one... but don't

usb - Needed for any USB device? I have a USB pen, will this need to be enabled?

wxwindows - ?

xosd - Sends display where?

xml - Out of date or worth having alongside xml2?

xmms - Support for app? In what way?

xv - What video playback?

xvid - mpeg does mpeg/3 and this does mpeg/4, yes?

zlib - ?

Phew, it's like Windows 2K/XP/2003 services, but on a grander scale

Thanks for your help guys, any of the above that you can clear up would be appreciated. If something is simply a format of some kind saying that would be enough. One of two references I'd google for, but there's so much...

Thanks again.

Quitch · Apprentice Joined: 04 Jun 2003 Posts: 151

The x86 default profile has ungif in it, but I can't find a description for that tag.

Quitch · Apprentice Joined: 04 Jun 2003 Posts: 151

Elegiac · n00b Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 56

These links will help you with the USE flags:

http://gentoo-portage.com/USE
http://gentoo-wiki.com/USE_Flags_explained
http://www.gentoo.org/dyn/use-index.xml

And this will help you better understand how to use them:

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=2&chap=2

~Brian