linux.gentoo.user

On Sunday 16 March 2008, Chuck Robey wrote:
> It certainly does! =A0AND I found that there IS one document that tells
> you more than a fleeting hint about slots: the eix man page. =A0Someone
> else sort of snidely said "you should read the emerge man page" after
> giving me (once again) description of slots without giving me any way
> to USE them ... as if I hadn't read that emerge man page again and
> again, and let me tell you, it gives nothing whatever on slots.
> =A0Well, now, after reading this, AND the eix man page, I think I will
> know enough to begin to be dangerous :-)

I think it was me that gave you that snide comment . Oops...

I had a little think about this and what I've concluded is that those of=20
us using gentoo for months/years without a break confront these things=20
little by little as they get introduced. One new change a week is=20
something we can easily absorb without thinking twice and eventually we=20
amass this HUGE collection of facts and we are comfortable with it. So=20
far so good.

Someone new to Gentoo comes along, or returns after a few years away.=20
Lots has changed, and we all tell you to RTFM because the answer "is so=20
bloody obvious ... sheesh, get a clue dude" or similar. What that=20
reduces to though is that the oldies expect the newbies to absorb in a=20
day what took the oldie a few months.=20

Not only is it unfair, it's a totally unreasonable thing to expect. I=20
shall make a mental note for myself for future use.

Meanwhile, something good you could do meanwhile is go over to=20
bugs.gentoo.org and submit a new bug under the "docs" section. Briefly=20
summarize what docs you read and what lack of data you found on SLOTs=20
and ask the documentation maintainers to expand the description of=20
SLOTs. Give it from the viewpoint of someone who doesn't know portage=20
well so they can see where you reasonably went looking and what you=20
expected to find but that was missing



=2D-=20
Alan McKinnon
alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com

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