Note that if any of the packages listed are already merged, the package manager
will use that to consider the dependency satisfied.
+.SS "Cross-compilation"
+Portage supports cross-compilation into a subdirectory specified by \fBROOT\fR.
+.TP
+.B Host
+\fIHost\fR in this context means the platform hosting the build process, i.e.
+what autotools calls CBUILD.
+Its packages are contained in the root of the filesystem ("\fI/\fR").
+If \fBROOT\fR is "\fI/\fR", all dependency types will be installed there.
+Otherwise, starting from experimental \fBEAPI 5-hdepend\fR, only \fBHDEPEND\fR
+is installed into "\fI/\fR".
+In \fBEAPI 5\fR and earlier, the behaviour is controlled by the
+\fI\-\-root-deps\fR flag to \fBemerge\fR(1), defaulting to install only
+\fBDEPEND\fR into the \fIhost\fR.
+.TP
+.B Target
+\fITarget\fR refers to the platform that the package will later run on, i.e.
+what autotools calls CHOST.
+The directory housing this system is specified by \fBROOT\fR.
+If it is different from "\fI/\fR", i.e. \fIhost\fR and \fItarget\fR are not the
+same, this variable contains the path to the directory housing the \fItarget\fR
+system.
+Starting from experimental \fBEAPI 5-hdepend\fR, \fBDEPEND\fR and \fBRDEPEND\fR
+list the \fItarget\fR dependencies, i.e. those to be installed into \fBROOT\fR.
+In \fBEAPI 5\fR and earlier, the \fBemerge\fR(1) flag \fI\-\-root-deps\fR
+controlled what the package manager installed there, defaulting to only
+\fBRDEPEND\fR.
+.PP
+See section \fBVARIABLES\fR for more information about the \fBDEPEND\fR,
+\fBRDEPEND\fR and \fBHDEPEND\fR variables.
+
.SH "VARIABLES"
.TP
.B Usage Notes
to compile (aka \fIbuildtime\fR dependencies). These are usually libraries and
headers.
+Starting from experimental \fBEAPI 5-hdepend\fR, tools should go into the
+\fBHDEPEND\fR variable instead, as \fBDEPEND\fR will only be installed into the
+\fItarget\fR system and hence cannot be executed in a cross\-compile setting.
+(See section \fBCross\-compilation\fR for more information.)
+
You may use the syntax described above in the \fBDependencies\fR section.
.TP
.B RDEPEND
of \fBDEPEND\fR. In \fBEAPI 4\fR or later, \fBRDEPEND\fR will never be
implicitly set.
+You may use the syntax described above in the \fBDependencies\fR section.
+.TP
+.B HDEPEND
+This should contain a list of all packages that are required to be executable
+during compilation of this program (aka \fIhost\fR buildtime dependencies).
+These are usually tools, like interpreters or (cross\-)compilers.
+
+This variable is new in experimental \fBEAPI 5-hdepend\fR and will be installed
+into the \fIhost\fR system.
+(See section \fBCross-compilation\fR for more information.)
+
You may use the syntax described above in the \fBDependencies\fR section.
.TP
.B PDEPEND