Re: What should "guix build --source" produce? (was Re: Dependency cycle issues when using a Gexp-based snippet)

[Andreas Enge]

Hello Maxim,

On Fri, Sep 11, 2020 at 02:22:44PM -0400, Maxim Cournoyer wrote:
> +@cindex snippets, when to use
> +The boundary between using an origin snippet versus a build phase to
> +modify the sources of a package can be elusive.  Origin snippets are
> +typically used to remove unnecessary files such as bundled libraries,
> +nonfree sources, or to apply simple substitutions.  The source derived
> +from an origin should produce a source that can be used to build the
> +package on any system that the upstream package supports (i.e., act as
> +the corresponding source).  In particular, origin patches or snippets
> +must not embed store items in the sources; such patching should rather
> +be done using build phases.

that sounds good to me! However, I would not use the word "patch" in
"origin patches or snippets must not embed store items",
since patches are yet something else as defined in the "patches"
field; almost by definition, they cannot embed store items. So in the end:
"In particular, origin snippets must not embed store items in the sources;
such modifications should rather be done using build phases."

Thanks,

Andreas