Vincent Lefevre <vincent-opdarw@vinc17.org> (VL) wrote:
VL> On 2006-09-25 17:06:02 -0400, David Glasser wrote:
Maybe portfiles can contain a flag that says "rebuild my dependents when you install me"?
VL> This may be nice in some cases, but won't solve the real problem, VL> which is that a library should never be removed by an upgrade VL> (replaced by a compatible version, with the same name OK, but VL> not removed just because there exists a different, incompatible VL> version). Indeed, for various reasons (e.g. bugs), rebuilding VL> some ports may fail. Ditto for other programs compiled/installed VL> directly by the user (i.e. not via MacPorts).
VL> Some files could be flagged to prevent their removal (while still VL> allowing their replacement), except when the removal is explicitly VL> requested by the user.
I think the dependency systems should be much more sophisticated. Preferably with automatic garbage collection to prevent libraries from disappearing when they are still needed. I think MacPorts would be a good candidate for NiX: <http://www.cs.uu.nl/wiki/Trace/Nix> and if people are interested I can see if we can start a research project to develop a NiX version of MacPorts. -- Piet van Oostrum <piet@cs.uu.nl> URL: http://www.cs.uu.nl/~piet [PGP 8DAE142BE17999C4] Private email: piet@vanoostrum.org