[arch-general] Default value of "j" in makeflags of makepkg.conf

[Paul Gideon Dann]

On Sunday 05 Jan 2014 23:03:23 Mark Lee wrote:
> This all boils down to what does Arch consider a bug. If code that
> cannot be compiled in parallel is a bug then Arch should make parallel
> building the default (since these are bugs that upstream should fix). If
> instead it is not a bug but is the intention of upstream developers,
> then it shoudln't be enabled by default. Who is responsible for ensuring
> parallel building works?

It's worse than that: it's not just a bug, it's a randomly-occurring bug.  It's 
something that users need to be aware of *before* they encounter it, because it 
will not produce a reliable error message that can be searched for, and may not 
even be descriptive.

I think it makes more sense to suggest the option via the wiki, or in the 
makepkg.conf file, along with a warning about potential occasional breakage.  
This seems the most Arch-like solution to me: it's a safe default, but offers 
improved performance for users willing to take the time to poke around and 
understand better.

Paul