*****Here I run a simple dry-run:
I added some simple prints in lib/bb/providers.py:filterProviders and findBestProviders

andy@localhost ~/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom $ bitbake --dry-run openiom-image
NOTE: Using cache in '/home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/tmp/cache'
NOTE: Handling BitBake files: \ (4059/4059) [100 %]
NOTE: Parsing finished. 3880 cached, 0 parsed, 179 skipped, 0 masked.

NOTE: build 200610220908: started

OE Build Configuration:
BB_VERSION     = "1.6.1"
OE_REVISION    = "691da8a9766ff44df2fbf79aa48f7b415523528b"
TARGET_ARCH    = "powerpc"
TARGET_OS      = "linux"
MACHINE        = "storcenter"
DISTRO         = "openiom"
DISTRO_VERSION = ".dev-snapshot-20061022"
TARGET_FPU     = "hard"

providers for openiom-image are: ['openiom-image']
providers for ipkg-native are: ['ipkg-native']
providers for pkgconfig-native are: ['pkgconfig-native']
providers for autoconf-native are: ['autoconf-native']
providers for quilt-native are: ['quilt-native']
providers for m4-native are: ['m4-native']
providers for gnu-config-native are: ['gnu-config-native']
providers for automake-native are: ['automake-native']
providers for libtool-native are: ['libtool-native']
providers for ipkg-utils-native are: ['ipkg-utils-native']
providers for fakeroot-native are: ['fakeroot-native']
providers for file-native are: ['file-native']
providers for virtual/powerpc-linux-gcc are: ['gcc-cross']
providers for virtual/powerpc-linux-binutils are: ['binutils-cross']
providers for gettext-native are: ['gettext-native']
providers for flex-native are: ['flex-native']
providers for bison-native are: ['bison-native']
providers for virtual/powerpc-linux-libc-for-gcc are: ['glibc', 'glibc-intermediate']
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.2.5.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.2+cvs20040726.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.2.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.3+cvs20041128.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.3+cvs20050221.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.3+cvs20050420.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.3.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.5+cvs20050627.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_cvs.bb
NOTE: preferred version 2.5 of glibc not available

*****It didn't look in all the *.bb files, why not???
*****continues...

providers for virtual/powerpc-linux-gcc-initial are: ['gcc-cross-initial']
providers for virtual/powerpc-linux-libc-initial are: ['glibc-initial']
providers for linux-libc-headers are: ['linux-libc-headers']
providers for gmp-native are: ['gmp-native']
providers for mpfr-native are: ['mpfr-native']
providers for virtual/libc are: ['glibc']
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.2.5.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.2+cvs20040726.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.2.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.3+cvs20041128.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.3+cvs20050221.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.3+cvs20050420.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.3.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.3.5+cvs20050627.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_cvs.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.4.bb
AJW: pn: /home/andy/work/Protium/newnewslug/openiom/openembedded/packages/glibc/glibc_2.5.bb

****In this case, it DID open the final two glib_2.[45].bb files.

providers for task-base are: ['task-base']
providers for kernel are: ['linux-geodelx', 'linux-xxs1500', 'linux-storcenter', 'linux-geodegx', 'linux-h6300-omap1', 'ipod']

I thought it might have been the DEFAULT_PREFERENCE ="-1" but this is only in
the 2.5 version, and didn't change when I took it out and rebuilt the cache.