[oe] Where should MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER be defined?

[Rod Whitby]

There seems to be significant inconsistency in the way that
MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER is defined in OE (see the output of a recursive
grep command in .../conf at the end of this message).

It's defaulted to "task-base" in bitbake.conf, and then every man and
his dog forcibly defines it to the same thing in a variety of
machine.conf files and distro.conf files.

Should all of these instances simply be deleted, cause none of them
actually change the default, and all of them stop the user from changing
 it in local.conf ...

If it is to be overridden, should it be a distro override or a machine
override?  What would be normal reasons for overriding it?

> find . -type f -print0 | xargs -0 grep MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER
> ./distro/include/angstrom.inc:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./distro/include/openmoko.inc:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/collie.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/h3600.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/jornada6xx.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/jornada7xx.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/mainstone.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/netvista.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/nokia770.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/omap5912osk.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/include/zaurus-2.6.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/include/lsppc.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/simpad.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/x86.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/devkitidp-pxa255.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/qemuarm.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/efika.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/logicpd-pxa270.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/htcuniversal.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/dht-walnut.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/titan.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/wrap.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/smdk2440.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/compulab-pxa270.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/storcenter.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/qemux86.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/fic-gta01.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/shark.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/turbostation.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/n2100.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/smdk2443.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./machine/lsarm.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER = "task-base"
> ./bitbake.conf:MACHINE_TASK_PROVIDER ?= "task-base"

-- Rod