Proposal: do not show up the dialog(1) by default?

[Michael Gmelin]

On Thu, 23 May 2013 16:51:40 +0200
Florent Peterschmitt <florent at peterschmitt.fr> wrote:

> Le 23/05/2013 08:36, Xin Li a écrit :
> > On 5/22/13 10:45 PM, Baptiste Daroussin wrote:
> >> hi,
> > 
> >> A lot of people seems to be complaining about the configuration
> >> dialog popping up all the time.
> > 
> >> What if we change the default behaviour to not pop up the dialog
> >> each time there is a changed option but only when the user
> >> explicitly type make config?
> > 
> >> Just a proposal, please give your opinion.
> > 
> >> Of course make config-recursive behaviour won't change.
> > 
> > I think this would be a good idea.  If the a majority of users need
> > to change default options, then the default should be changed.
> > 
> > Not really related to the dialog, but maybe, I mean maybe, we can
> > teach package tools to just go ahead download and install package,
> > if the options being chosen matches the package options, if the host
> > system meets certain criteria (e.g. is a supported release or
> > -CURRENT) and the package is available?
> > 
> > Another idea is to collect the options from user, and send it as a
> > feedback (the user have reviewed the default and either accepted it,
> > or have changed).  This would help port maintainers to decide which
> > options should be made default, etc.
> 
> What you're thinking about is a sort of intelligent dialog ?
> 
> In my opinion, dialog should *not* pop-up and take options like this:
> 
> * A default option changed by user has changed -> take user's one
> * All default options unchanged by user        -> take new defaults

That way it's impossible to ever change default options for a
port though, otherwise users which were happy with the previous default
configuration end up in big trouble on update - unless ports is smart
enough to tell that the installed versions was built using a port
skeleton that had a different set of default options.

-- 
Michael Gmelin