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lars_the_bear
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 06, 2024 8:03 am    Post subject: General principles with binary distribution Reply with quote

Hi folks

I'm new to Gentoo (this week), so please bear with me.

I understand that until recently, Gentoo was distributed only as source code. Now there are some (many?) packages that can be distributed as binaries.

My question is: is there only one specific binary download for a particular package and architecture, or could there be many?

I ask because, with the combination of USE flags I have, pretty much everything is being built from source anyway. So who/what decides which binary packages are available, and which USE flags they comply with? Is this provision likely to expand?

BR, Lars
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NichtDerHans
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 06, 2024 8:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think there is only one binary for a package within the profile groups (amd64 -> Profile 23). These are built with the standard flags.

If your USE flags do not match the binary, Emerge will compile itself.


Maybe you have to learn that USE in make.conf is not ideal (there are exceptions), but it is recommended to assign USE flags to individual packages. But don't worry, this is a long time learning experience.
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lars_the_bear
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 06, 2024 8:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks.

NichtDerHans wrote:
I think there is only one binary for a package within the profile groups (amd64 -> Profile 23). These are built with the standard flags. If your USE flags do not match the binary, Emerge will compile itself.


Thanks. To be honest, I don't really understand what a profile is, in Gentoo terms. I chose 'profile 23' because everybody else seems to :) I don't actually know what effect that has on the build process. Is this documented somewhere (in terms that even a numpty like me would understand)?

NichtDerHans wrote:

Maybe you have to learn that USE in make.conf is not ideal (there are exceptions), but it is recommended to assign USE flags to individual packages. But don't worry, this is a long time learning experience.


It might not have a long time. I mean, I might not have an unlimited time to learn how to use Gentoo; but also: I'm not a young man, and I probably don't have a long time in any sense ;)

So any help that would speed things up is gratefully accepted.

BR, Lars
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NichtDerHans
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 06, 2024 9:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A profile specifies default values (compiler features, toolchain parameters, USE flags, etc.) for the system. New values are provided by the developers every few years (new profile). You can customise them all for yourself.

https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Profile_(Portage)

Delete the USE=XXX (yor added flags) from the make.conf file. If you enter "emerge --info", you will see the default USE flags of the selected profile. Try to get your Gentoo running with it first.

Then you can add individual things. :) :)
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