I have noticed that most variants add or delete a configure flag in the form of --enable-*/--disable-*/--with-*/--without-* and maybe add or delete a related dependency. :> :> Therefore, I propose that all variants should fit the following forms: :> :> {en|dis}able_package: If a ported software package has optional compile-time features, the user can give configure command line options to specify whether to compile them. The options have one of these forms: :> --enable-feature :> --disable-feature :> (Note that this is slightly different then how configure scripts work[1]). :> :> with[out]_package: When a port requires, or can optionally use, other ports that can be or already are installed. The user can give configure command line options to specify which such external software to use. A port can be written with options have one of these forms: :> +with_package :> +without_package :> (Note that this is slightly different then how configure scripts work[2]). :> :> (Most configure scripts allow these options to passed with further information in the form of --option=arg where a reasonable default is set if =arg is not specified. port can't handle that, so =arg is not allowed in variant names and this proposal does not contemplate changing that) :> :> Changing this variant structure has, I believe, the following benefits: :> :> 1) Adding the verb enable/disable/use/with/without makes the variant more meaningful to users. I know there have been comments on the mailing list about the inability to comment on variants such that 'port info' is capable of explaining what each variant does. The verb will help address those complaints. :> :> 2) There are currently variants no-*, no_*, and no* These are inconsistent and do not tell me (the user) if I am disabling a feature (that some other port may depend on) or simply building the port without using some other package. :> :> 3) Negative variants are confusing. with_*/without_* or enable_*/ disable_* is more readable than +*/-* as an indicator of what is going on. :> :> References: :> [1] GNU Autoconf Manual Section 12.2: Choosing Package Options, http://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/manual/autoconf-2.57/html_mono/ autoconf.html#SEC131 :> [2] GNU Autoconf Manual Section 12.1: Working With External Software, http://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/manual/autoconf-2.57/ html_mono/autoconf.html#SEC130 :>
So, if I understand correctly, you want to get rid of negative variants (they do not get upgraded correctly) and not use the 'no' prefix for it is not always used the same way. In order to do that, you propose to stick to the convention of configure... Let me point a few things: 1) not all programs use configure, and those that do do not always use the autoconf standard. 2) as already pointed, some variants are not related to options in the configure but to which tools to use (choosing between gnu or bsd, choosing between the plethora of postgresql or the numerous mysql) 3) the +without_bidule does not feel logical to me: + is for adding something, without to tell that this addition is negative... 4) configure is generally a mess (to me): I have never well understood why with more that enable or the contrary. 5) longer variants names increases the probability of typos when trying to install a port (and there is no automatic completion of variants) as an example, at the moment, I have vim installed with variants +aqua +huge +ncurses +perl +python -ruby (I know the -ruby is unneeded) With this convention, it would be +enable_gui_carbon +with_features_huge +with_ncurses +enabel_perlinterp +enabel_pythoninterp +disable_rubyinterp Last point, you want to make default variants more widely used. default variants are a good mechanism, but they are not easy to grasp: I have installed lftp +ssl -tls. The only way I had to understand why port was insistng on building gnutls even when I tried 'port install lftp +ssl' and I saw in the portfile that ssl was conflicting with tls was to do a 'port cat lftp | grep tls'. the feature request here would be that 1. port info lists the default variants 2. port info port +variant takes variant into account to list the variant to be installed and also the dependencies. Emmanuel