RFC: MacPorts policy should be that docs should not be built or installed by default

[Blair Zajac]

> On Sep 20, 2019, at 8:04 AM, mf2k at macports.org wrote:
> 
> Hi Ken,
> 
> 
> Thank you for bringing this up. We also need to discuss, as a group, how to label documentation variants and sub-ports. Currently there is quite a diversity. 
> 
> See https://trac.macports.org/ticket/58338. 
> 
> I propose “docs” for a variant name and “-docs” for the sub-port name addition. 

For the variant name, +docs is more popular than +doc:

$ git grep 'variant doc ' | wc -l
51

$ git grep 'variant docs ' | wc -l
77

So your proposal SGTM.

Blair


> 
> I agree that, in general, the documentation should not be installed by default. Based on what Josh said, we don’t need to make it a rule, just a recommendation. If we unify the variant name, people can at least set “-docs” in their variants.conf file. 
> 
> 
> Cheers!
> Frank
> 
>> On Sep 19, 2019, at 10:40 PM, Ken Cunningham <ken.cunningham.webuse at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> the documentation that comes along with many ports often seems like a heavy and arguably needless burden:
>> 
>> - huge bloat
>> - lots of often onerous, massive, fussy build deps
>> - often takes as much time to sort out doc building as building the port
>> 
>> and, the big one :
>> 
>> I bet almost nobody ever looks at them, much less uses them. 
>