Hi, Walt.

On Sun, Jun 24, 2012 at 11:03:06AM -0400, Walter Dnes wrote:
> On Sat, Jun 23, 2012 at 10:40:23AM +0000, Alan Mackenzie wrote
> > Hi, Gentoo.

> > I've just emerge --sync'd, and there's a massive amount of X server
> > updates. When I try emerge -auND, I get told:

> > The following USE changes are necessary to proceed:
> > #required by x11-drivers/xf86-input-evdev-2.7.0, required by
> > x11-base/xorg-drivers-1.12[input_devices_evdev]
> > >=x11-base/xorg-server-1.12.2 udev

> > . So I need the udev use flag. This is somewhat distressing, since
> > I've been running my system on busybox's mdev for several months. It's
> > looking like I'll not be able to continue doing so.

> > Any suggestions, anybody, how I can now best proceed?

> The message indicates that =x11-base/xorg-drivers-1.12 *WITH EVDEV*
> requires udev. I don't use evdev. I keyworded
> "=x11-base/xorg-drivers-1.12 ~x86" and I get...

> [d531][root][~] emerge -pv x11-base/xorg-drivers

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

> Calculating dependencies... done!
> [ebuild U ~] x11-base/xorg-drivers-1.12 [1.11] INPUT_DEVICES="keyboard mouse -acecad -aiptek -elographics -evdev -fpit -hyperpen -joystick -mutouch -penmount -synaptics -tslib -vmmouse -void -wacom" VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia -apm -ark -ast -cirrus -dummy -epson -fbdev -fglrx -geode -glint -i128 -i740 -intel -mach64 -mga -modesetting% -neomagic (-newport) -nouveau -nv (-omapfb) -qxl -r128 -radeon -s3 -s3virge -savage -siliconmotion -sis (-sunbw2) (-suncg14) (-suncg3) (-suncg6) (-sunffb) (-sunleo) (-suntcx) -tdfx -tga -trident -v4l -vesa -via -virtualbox -vmware (-voodoo) (-chips%) (-impact%) (-rendition%) (-sisusb%) (-tseng%)" 0 kB

> For starters, I suggest...

> grep evdev /etc/make.conf

> ...and look at what you have to get rid of. My machine works fine
> without evdev. Actually, I start my USE var in make.conf with "-*".
> Then I add only items that I want, or that software I want requires.

Thanks for the tip. In the end, I've decided to go back to udev. Not
that I really want to, but I just don't have the time at the moment to
sort out the complexities of doing without evdev, and the other things
which would surely crop up.

So I now have a mammoth root partition containing /usr, the lesser of the
two available evils (the other being, of course, building an initramfs).

Mdev worked, and worked well.

There seems to be a relentless process at large, whereby the
opportunities to create an aesthetically pleasing individual system are
gradually diminishing. Shame.

> --
> Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>

--
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).