# emerge --pretend system

These are the packages that would be merged, in order:

Calculating system dependencies... done!
[ebuild     U ] sys-libs/com_err-1.40_pre20070411 [1.39]
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/man-pages-2.48 [2.43]
[ebuild     U ] sys-fs/udev-111 [104-r2]
[ebuild     U ] app-arch/gzip-1.3.12 [1.3.10]
[ebuild     U ] sys-devel/flex-2.5.33-r2 [2.5.33-r1]
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/hdparm-6.9-r1 [6.9]
[ebuild     U ] app-shells/bash-3.2_p17 [3.2_p9-r1]
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/findutils-4.3.4 [4.3.2]
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/util-linux-2.12r-r6 [2.12r-r5]
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/man-1.6e-r3 [1.6e-r2]
[ebuild     U ] sys-process/psmisc-22.5 [22.3]
[ebuild     U ] net-misc/rsync-2.6.9-r2 [2.6.9-r1] USE="acl*"
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/busybox-1.5.0 [1.3.1] USE="(-selinux)"
[ebuild     U ] app-arch/cpio-2.7-r2 [2.7-r1]
[ebuild     U ] net-misc/openssh-4.6_p1-r1 [4.5_p1] USE="ldap*"
[ebuild     U ] sys-kernel/linux-headers-2.6.21 [2.6.19.2-r1]
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/module-init-tools-3.2.2-r3 [3.2.2-r2]
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/file-4.20-r1 [4.19]
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/net-tools-1.60-r13 [1.60-r12]
[ebuild     U ] sys-libs/ncurses-5.6-r1 [5.6]
[ebuild     U ] sys-devel/m4-1.4.9 [1.4.8] USE="-examples%"
[ebuild     U ] app-editors/nano-2.0.6 [2.0.2]
[ebuild     U ] sys-devel/gnuconfig-20070118 [20060702]
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/debianutils-2.18 [2.17.4]
[ebuild     U ] net-misc/iputils-20070202 [20060512]
[ebuild     U ] sys-libs/readline-5.2_p4 [5.2_p1]
[ebuild     U ] sys-libs/ss-1.40_pre20070411 [1.39]
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/coreutils-6.9-r1 [6.7-r1] USE="-xattr%"
[ebuild     U ] sys-fs/e2fsprogs-1.40_pre20070411 [1.39-r1]