[LEDE-DEV] [PATCH 04/11] build: image.mk: don't install-images for devices not selected

[Felix Fietkau]

On 2017-01-02 06:36, Yousong Zhou wrote:
> So these default profiles are intended more for defining packages set
> or flavours, and along with that have the side effect of
> install-images for all devices?
It can also be used to define a profile for a specific group of devices
(by adding it to PROFILES only for those devices).

> The other thing is that Device/Default of ar71xx has Minimal as member
> of the PROFILES and it seems to be just missing in the code.  Just a
> random finding and you may fix that later if that's the case
Yeah, I removed those profiles and apparently forgot to remove them from
the PROFILES variable as well. I will fix that...

>>> My current understanding is that the profiles/*.mk thing is part of
>>> the old code and is to be replaced with the Device/xxx thing.  Correct
>>> me if I am wrong ;)
>>>
>>> The conclusion is that for sunxi at least, I do not know how to make a
>>> default profile or device to make it easier for users.  At the moment
>>> we have the alphabetically first one selected as the default but that
>>> is just a little bit not easy for all other devices' users ;)
>> You can do this like on other targets as well. Make a profile called
>> 'Default', select all packages needed to build images for all devices,
>> set PROFILES:=Default and it should work.
> 
> This will be ugly because this default profile will need to select all
> current and future uboot-sunxi variants.  I myself certainly do not
> like that.  But if default profile is a must, you know I am all ears
> to receive better plans ;)
It's not an absolute must, but I would still like to have it, even if
only for the sake of making the target more consistent with other
targets for users.

> The current menuconfig arrangement for sunxi target in my opinion is
> not that difficult for users anyway.  For people building images on
> their own, it is very likely that want build for a single or selected
> set of devices.  I still remember the first time I played with ar71xx
> target and selected default profile by chance, and viola the
> bin/ar71xx directory had so many images for so many different
> devices...
Many users I know expect to be able to just select a target, select a
few packages and have a build that runs on all devices of that target.
Not all of them know about selecting "Multiple devices" and then check
the devices they want individually.

- Felix