This handbook has been replaced by a newer version and is not
maintained anymore. [ << ] [ < ] [ Home ] [ > ] [ >> ] 2. USE
flags 2.a. What are USE flags? The ideas behind USE flags When
you are installing Gentoo (or any other distribution, or even
operating system for that matter) you make choices depending on
the environment you are working with. A setup for a server
differs from a setup for a workstation. A gaming workstation
differs from a 3D rendering workstation. This is not only true
for choosing what packages you want to install, but also what
features a certain package should support. If you don't need
OpenGL, why would you bother installing OpenGL and build OpenGL
support in most of your packages? If you don't want to use KDE,
why would you bother compiling packages with KDE support if
those packages work flawlessly without? To help users in
deciding what to install/activate and what not, we wanted the
user to specify his/her environment in an easy way. This forces
the user into deciding what they r