[Bug 224024] DEFAULT_VERSIONS for python and PYTHON_VERSION broken after r455210 (FLAVORS)

[bugzilla-noreply at freebsd.org]

https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=224024

David Naylor <dbn at FreeBSD.org> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
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                 CC|                            |dbn at FreeBSD.org

--- Comment #16 from David Naylor <dbn at FreeBSD.org> ---
I would like to add my 2c on PYTHON_VERSION: 

There are, I think, two situations where PYTHON_VERSION adds functionality that
FLAVORS does not provide:
 - if a port supports multiple versions of python but does not support FLAVORS
(for example end user programs[1]).  
 - if a port supports multiple versions of python but is only a consumer of
python (be it for building or for support scripts at runtime)

In both these cases if someone wants to use a different version of python,
without changing the default version of python, then PYTHON_VERSION is the
recommended (and currently supported) way.  

I do, however, think FLAVORS and PYTHON_VERSION need to be enhanced,
specifically:
 - setting PYTHON_VERSION then forces the default FLAVOR, and
 - setting PYTHON_VERSION outside the range of FLAVORS gets that version added
to FLAVORS

Alternatively, we need to drop support for using using non-default versions of
python (and correctly handle when a port does not support a default version).

[1] See the discussion around textproc/meld:
https://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/svn-ports-head/2018-January/165377.html

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