Arch Linux

In order to enable xterm_clipboard the --with-x option should be enabled. I wonder will vim fail on a system without Xorg? If so, it would be nice to create a new package instead (eg. vim-X11).
Meanwhile I have compiled the vim 7.3.107 with everything I need with the following command:
configure --enable-multibyte --with-x --disable-netbeans --disable-xsmp --disable-xsmp-interact --disable-selinux --disable-gtktest --enable-gui=no

there's also the '-clipboard' flag as seen on 'vim --version'
vim with '+clipboard' would allow yanking in vim and pasting to an external app
consider this one too

It looks like the --with-x adds both of these flags (+clipboard and +xterm_clipboard)

if you install gvim, you get an x11 capable vim binary, not only the graphical gvim client. Basically the vim-x11 thing alex was talking about

The only thing I am unhappy about in the gvim package is the RUBY dependency. I am quite sure gvim does not depend on the ruby normally and IMHO it is wrong to add such a custom dependency in a generic package (I would expect it to be an optional package instead). Certainly I don't know the real reason for adding ruby, but am quite positive that 95% (or more) of users will never use it. That is my 5 pence.

if you compile gvim out of the box the autodetect feature will pick up Ruby if installed, I'm about 90% sure. I understand your animosity towards it, it's just the way where we need to draw a line. gvim is the "fat cat" package with everything included, vim on the smaller side. There is a trade off either way. Splitting up vim even more makes no sense however, given a few considerations. With the release speed of vim, we would end up building tons of packages almost every 2 weeks. It also is not exactly Archlinux' style to supply every customization of a package possible. There is the user who want's vim with X support, then there is the user who wants gvim but with out Ruby and then the one who wants vim without X but with Ruby. I'm sure you see where this is going. It's a compromise it has to be.

I know about the autodetect feature, but it can be disabled via configure params.
Since the ArchLinux claims to be minimalist distribution one would expect certain effort to be as minimalist as possible. But I see your points and I understand (to a point). I do appreciate the work you guys put in the ArchLinux. I really do!
If it is not going to be fixed, I suppose we can close the task (I have compiled my own vim that reflect all my likings anyway).
Unfortunately a lot of packages in most distributions (even non-Linux - like FreeBSD) have silly dependencies like ruby, lua, python whatever else that might be, when actually they are not necessary (eg. to run a script during the installation and never after). I am not talking about this particular package since vim has buildin support for ruby.
Having too many unnecessary language interpreters have a security implications as well - a better chance for malicious code to be able to run. Regular box these days would have - bash, perl, python, sometimes lua and/or ruby. Less is more.

As Ivan V said:
"there's also the '-clipboard' flag as seen on 'vim --version'
vim with '+clipboard' would allow yanking in vim and pasting to an external app
consider this one too".

So could we have at least clipboard flag enabled?

I suppose both +clipboard and +xterm_clipboard would require --with-x flag during compilation, which will add Xorg as a dependency. Hence this package will not run on non-gui servers.

Minimalism takes many forms - a big one in Arch is trying to make the most people happy with the fewest number of packages. So Ruby and X11 support come together. Doubling the number of packages for every option (+x11 -ruby, -x11 +ruby, -x11 -ruby, +x11 +ruby) is silly.

This is what ABS is for.