/etc/portage/package.mask

 is Article description::a file, or a directory of files, that can be used to prevent certain packages from being installed.

After syncing, end users can take a look in for some up-to-date examples on packages that are currently masked in the Gentoo ebuild repository. The comments preceding the package will provide insight into why the package has been masked.

Format

 * One DEPEND atom per line; comment lines begin with a  (hash).
 * For DEPEND atom syntax, see version specifier.

External resources

 * Portage manpage