[MPlayer-users] Bug Report: Mplayer crash using DGA2 with Sorenson Video and a GeForce 2

[Jonathan Rogers]

Joe Rutledge wrote:
> [Automatic answer: RTFM (read DOCS, FAQ), also read DOCS/bugreports.html]
> This was built using the most recent Gentoo ebuild and thus I had no 
> control over configure or the make process, hence no debug output, 
> sorry. It's fine using all other valid video drivers for my system. I'm 
> also using the most recent nvidia X driver and the most recent ALSA 
> drivers. I am using the most recent version of xfree86 as well.

Perhaps you already figured this out, but there is an easy way to get 
output from Portage builds: set the PORT_LOGDIR variable in 
/etc/make.conf. For instance, I just uncommented the line already there 
(PORT_LOGDIR=/var/log/emerge). Also, make sure the directory exists. 
Make sure you have portage-2.0.48_pre3 or newer (though it's not 
unmasked yet), as there seems to be a bug related to logfiles in earlier 
ones.

How could you say that you "had no control over configure or the make 
process?" ;) Gentoo is the most configurable and easily tweakable distro 
I've used. Just edit the ebuild to have control over the configure and 
make process. I've found the PORTDIR_OVERLAY mechanism to be most 
helpful. I just set PORTDIR_OVERLAY to a directory in my home directory. 
Then, I can tweak existing ebuilds or write entirely new ones without 
stepping on /usr/portage and without doing anything as root except the 
actual build.

Before I started using Gentoo, I always had the dilemna of having to 
either stick to the packages available for the distribution (Redhat, 
Mandrake, or Debian) or install other packages from source, with no 
system or tracking of what was installed where. Now, I usually write a 
new ebuild for a package that's not in portage yet and submit it. Even 
if no one else ever uses the package (though they can, since the ebuild 
eventually is included), my system stays better managed.

That said, it's probably not too hard to write and build one's own RPM's 
  or debs; it's just not as obviously accessible to normal users on 
other distributions. Debian also has so many packages already there that 
adding new ones is seldom needed, so I'm still not sure which distro 
(Debian or Gentoo) I'll prefer in the long run.

For more help, look at 
<URL:http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/gentoo-howto.xml>, 
<URL:http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/portage-user.xml>, and 
<URL:http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/portage-manual.xml>.

Jonathan Rogers