Gentoo incremental updates

Gentoo linux has been releasing weekly snapshots instead of usual long term releases. This is a nice way of providing cutting edge technology. To add to that, Gentoo does not provide updates regular way. Ebuilds are stabilized by developers and whenever we want to update our system, we have to follow the subsequent steps:

* emerge -v --sync

This updates ebuilds.

* emerge -pv --deep --newuse --update world

This gives a list of changes that shall be made. In case, there is change of USE flags, this command will detect the packages that need to be reinstalled.

This unique updating method keeps Gentoo users at cutting edge of technology. However, there are some drawbacks. A dependency resolution problem occurs when a particular package has been stabilized; but some of its dependencies are not. In this case, portage complains that the dependencies are masked. This is what happened to me last night.

emerge -pv --deep --newuse --update world

These are the packages that would be merged, in order:

Calculating dependencies... done!

!!! All ebuilds that could satisfy ">=x11-libs/qscintilla-2.4[python]" have been masked.
!!! One of the following masked packages is required to complete your request:
- x11-libs/qscintilla-2.4 (masked by: ~x86 keyword)

For more information, see the MASKED PACKAGES section in the emerge
man page or refer to the Gentoo Handbook.
(dependency required by "dev-python/PyQt-3.18.1" [ebuild])
(dependency required by "media-sound/amarok-1.4.10_p20090130-r3" [installed])
(dependency required by "world" [argument])

I checked out with people at #gentoo channel on IRC. The discussion could not solve the issue. I decided to postpone the update and got back to work. After about 3 hours, I synced again. The dependency problem wasn't solved. I had not installed any masked packages and PyQt wasn't also present in package.keywords. I was just hoping the incremental releases had got into a situation I described earlier as a drawback of the Gentoo update system. So, I postponed the update till morning.

Today morning, when I synced I noticed a change in PyQt ebuild. When I ran a pretended update, I got the following list of updates.

emerge -pv --deep --newuse --update world

These are the packages that would be merged, in order:

Calculating dependencies... done!
[ebuild N ] app-portage/portage-utils-0.1.29 78 kB
[ebuild U ] app-shells/bash-4.0_p28 [3.2_p39] USE="net%* nls -afs -bashlogger -examples -plugins -vanilla" 6,155 kB
[ebuild U ] dev-db/sqlite-3.6.17 [3.6.16] USE="readline%* threadsafe -debug -doc -soundex -tcl" 2,912 kB
[ebuild U ] sys-devel/libtool-2.2.6a [1.5.26] USE="-test% -vanilla" 717 kB
[ebuild U ] app-emacs/emacs-common-gentoo-1.2 [1.0] USE="X -emacs22icons%" 46 kB
[ebuild NS ] app-editors/emacs-23.1 [22.3-r2] USE="X alsa gpm toolkit-scroll-bars xpm -Xaw3d -dbus -gif -gtk -gzip-el -hesiod -jpeg -kerberos -m17n-lib -motif -png -sound -source -svg -tiff -xft" 33,577 kB
[ebuild U ] virtual/emacs-23 [22] 0 kB
[ebuild U ] app-admin/eselect-python-20090824 [20090606] 5 kB
[ebuild U ] dev-python/sip-4.8.2 [4.7.9] USE="-debug -doc%" 601 kB
[ebuild U ] dev-python/setuptools-0.6-r1 [0.6_rc9] 253 kB
[ebuild U ] sys-libs/pam-1.1.0 [1.0.4] USE="cracklib nls -audit -debug% (-selinux) -test -vim-syntax" 1,564 kB
[ebuild U ] sys-auth/pambase-20090620.1-r1 [20081028] USE="cracklib sha512 -consolekit -debug -gnome-keyring -mktemp -passwdqc (-selinux) -ssh" 3 kB
[ebuild U ] sys-auth/consolekit-0.3.0-r2 [0.2.10] USE="pam -debug -doc% -policykit%" 385 kB
[ebuild U ] app-admin/sudo-1.7.2_p1 [1.7.1-r1] USE="pam -ldap -offensive (-selinux) -skey" 753 kB
[ebuild U ] dev-python/PyQt4-4.5.4-r4 [4.4.4-r5] USE="X dbus kde -assistant -debug -doc -examples -opengl -phonon -sql -svg -webkit -xmlpatterns" 6,808 kB
[ebuild U ] dev-python/PyQt-3.18.1 [3.17.6] USE="-debug -doc -examples" 801 kB

Total: 16 packages (14 upgrades, 1 new, 1 in new slot), Size of downloads: 54,653 kB

My patience finally paid off. However, it would be wrong on your part to take the impression that this is general drawback of the Gentoo release system. That is because I am using KDE 3.5.10, which does not have upstream support any more. Unless you are in such an odd situation like me, Gentoo is a nice way of getting fine-tuned cutting edge software.

P.S.: A Gentoo forums thread clarifies that this is not a singular case.