Installing xorg/xcb-util-* recompiles all the *proto packages

[tseemann]

If I type brew install linuxbrew/xorg/xcb-util-renderutil it seems to recompile a lot of packages I already have installed eg. xproto, xextproto ...

If I repeat this for another xcb-util-* package it does it again.

Is this a bug, or is it something to do with compile time dependencies or static linking?

[rwhogg]

From xorg-protocols:

# with specs
  res1 = %w[bigreqsproto fontsproto inputproto kbproto recordproto scrnsaverproto xcmiscproto xextproto xproto]

  # without specs
  res2 = %w[compositeproto damageproto dmxproto dri2proto dri3proto fixesproto glproto presentproto randrproto renderproto resourceproto videoproto xf86bigfontproto xf86dgaproto xf86driproto xf86vidmodeproto xineramaproto]

  res1.each do |r|
    depends_on r => args
  end

  res2.each do |r|
    depends_on r
  end

Through the dependency chain xcb-util-renderutil->libxcb->libxau->xorg-protocols, we end up depending on xorg-protocols, which is basically a metapackage to install a bunch of small formulae X.Org needs.

Given that it's the ones from res1 that are getting reinstalled, I'm guessing that it's because of the => args that's causing them to be reinstalled.

[sjackman]

It's much better for the typical installation to have no options involved. Options are for exceptional installations. Perhaps --with-specs should be the default and --without-specs the option? What does this option do?

[rwhogg]

This issue was moved to maxim-belkin/homebrew-xorg#252