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#LAST_EDIT = 2005-8-26

gentoo_category_select TOC

1. Usage
2. Installation
3. Description
4. Q & A
5. Authors

# Usage
#####################
To run from uncompressed directory, at commandline

./gentoo_category select

To run installed script, at commandline run

/usr/bin/gentoo_category_select

# Installation
#########################

NOTE: You can run the launcher script in the uncompressed directory without installing the package.

./gentoo_category_select.py

I suggest you at least test from the directory before install.

to install:

make

to uninstall

make uninstall

# Description
#################################################

gentoo_category_select is a tool for listing portage package categories in a manageable fashion so you can select categories that you do not want installed on your system.

<example>

I do enjoy the show CSI but I don't think I'm going to take up forensics as a hobby... So I don't need portage gathering informantion about the packages in this category.

1. Start gentoo_category_select
2. Click app on the Base category list (on the left side). This displays the app categories in the center right Categories list.
3. Scroll down to app-forensics seeing that it is included and confirming there are no installed packages from this category.
4. click app-forensics to
5. Click the commit button and confirm on the dialog box.

app-forensics now states it is (EXCLUDED). Now portage will not ask for updates from this category during sync. Emerge no long knows this category or any of its packages exist.
<WARNING>
Meaning you can not install or uninstall any packages from the category. It becomes the equivalent on asking John Lennon what the Nirvana song he likes.
</WARNING>
</example>

gentoo_category_select assumes you know what you are doing. If there are packages installed DON'T exclude the category. No changes take effect until you press the commit button. If you find out later you want the category you can use the app to change its status and run 'emerge sync'.

# Q & A
##################################
Q: Why did I write this?
A: There are a great deal of categories I don't use. These take up hard drive space, and time syncing. Is it much space and time? No but I'm a firm believer in waste not, want not. Plus I discovered portage unchecked will eat gigs of space. This was the first usefull way I found to check after portage.

The more I thought about it I realized that this could be useful in a few situations like embedded devices where storage does matter. Would I install this on an embedded device? No but I could use the file it creates on one.

Sync is not downloading extra info about categories I have excluded. This means I am using less bandwidth from gentoo.org and it's mirrors. :) Gentoo gave us a nifty, free meta-distro so I would like to relax the bandwidth usage costs.

Q: What files are needed to use with the embedded idea mentioned above? A: /etc/portage/rsync_excludes lists the categories to be excluded. This file name and location can be changed as long as it matches the 'RSYNC_EXCLUDEFROM =' line you add to /etc/make.conf

Q: Why Qt GUI and no gtk or filling the blank? A: I use KDE and it matches my desktop. shrug. I will look into a gtk version when time permits. A gtk version is part of the plan and one of the reasons for using a launcher script. Sit tight or look in to writing it yourself if you are familiar with python.
/usr/lib/qtcategories.py is only GUI code and could be used as a guideline for a gtkcategories.py. If you are interested in making a GUI with any other toolkit it might be worth waiting for the next version when qtcategories gets cleaned up with clearer method naming and such to improve readability. If you do want to contribute a front-end, I will be rather strict about the code format. /usr/lib/gentoo_category_info.py is the current example of this format.

# Authors
#############
Craig Hurley sobit (at) reddnet.net