From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Apr 13 01:29:40 2005 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E8F3116A4CE for ; Wed, 13 Apr 2005 01:29:40 +0000 (GMT) Received: from mail5.freedom2surf.net (mail5.freedom2surf.net [194.106.33.239]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 26C5B43D1F for ; Wed, 13 Apr 2005 01:29:40 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from freebsd@drseuk.f2s.com) Received: from i-194-106-33-239.freedom2surf.net (i-194-106-33-239 [127.0.0.1])j3D1TcWa007849 for ; Wed, 13 Apr 2005 02:29:38 +0100 Received: (from apache@localhost)j3D1Tcxe007848 for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Wed, 13 Apr 2005 02:29:38 +0100 X-Authentication-Warning: i-194-106-33-239.freedom2surf.net: apache set sender to freebsd@drseuk.f2s.com using -f Received: from i-195-137-107-121.freedom2surf.net (i-195-137-107-121.freedom2surf.net [195.137.107.121]) by webmail.freedom2surf.net (IMP) with HTTP for ; Wed, 13 Apr 2005 02:29:38 +0100 Message-ID: <1113355778.425c760293b26@webmail.freedom2surf.net> Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 02:29:38 +0100 From: freebsd@drseuk.f2s.com To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit User-Agent: Internet Messaging Program (IMP) 3.2.3 X-Originating-IP: 195.137.107.121 Subject: Gnome / xorg / Ports / Release related nightmares X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 01:29:41 -0000 Hi all, At the risk of being accused of being "a troll in the bikeshed", here goes: I've used FreeBSD since 2.2.6 (c. 1998) and I love it. Never lost any data and I trust it, thanks to all the hard work all the developers are doing! Recently, I went through the 4.3 -> 5.3 / XFree -> xorg / Gnome 2.4 -> 2.10 upgrade cycle somewhat ambitiously in one go. Currently I'm tracking 5.3 Release (though of course I'm aware that 5.4 is imminent). I need to use ports (1200+ of them on average in fact), yet they are only supported for STABLE, yet the blind use of STABLE is not recommended. Basically I'm asking for advice on how best to install / manage ports with stability in mind. I'm guilty of mixing "pkg_add -vr" (Release based) with "make install" (Current ports tree based) and "portupgrade" (which AFAIK kind of mixes the previous two options) as well as resorting to the occasional "ln -s" after a bit of "ldd'ing" (which is probably not advisable long term but helps if you need a quick library link on a slow machine!). I realise that the ports system is very clever and highly complex but is there not a way that I can, somehow insofar as it is possible, obtain, say, a Firefox 1.X port (probably delivered as a package) for a 5.3 release? Hope this makes sense! Cheers, James