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Date:      Wed, 19 Mar 2014 12:42:56 +0000
From:      Arthur Chance <freebsd@qeng-ho.org>
To:        Martin Braun <yellowgoldmine@gmail.com>, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: FreeBSD is really great.. BUT..
Message-ID:  <532990D0.3060005@qeng-ho.org>
In-Reply-To: <CAFNm86TGi5VDznAg3FU%2BVLWD9b3fLo-gA1fzhEhseMZfe2hNuA@mail.gmail.com>
References:  <CAFNm86TGi5VDznAg3FU%2BVLWD9b3fLo-gA1fzhEhseMZfe2hNuA@mail.gmail.com>

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On 19/03/2014 10:34, Martin Braun wrote:
> FreeBSD is really great.. BUT..
>
> I stopped using FreeBSD when it was about 5.x or something because I found
> I spend more time compiling than I did managing our server room. I went
> with Debian (and the beloved apt-get tool) and I never looked back.
>
> Then I needed to test different containers out so I tested Linux-VServer,
> Xen, UML, and other stuff, and naturally I had to test FreeBSD Jails. I
> decided to use ezjail and I noticed that FreeBSD has gotten some new really
> cool tools and jails combined with ZFS are incredible.
>
> So pkg_add is gone and now there is the new and improved pkg and together
> with "freebsd-update" it is possible to keep a system upgraded at all times
> using ONLY binary packages, which are great!
>
> The whole point of the ports system is as stated on the OpenBSD FAQ:
>
>      "The end result of the porting effort are ready-to-install binary
> packages."
>
> So great.. yes?
>
> NO!
>
> Why not?
>
> Because still the FreeBSD ports team doesn't agree with that notion from
> the OpenBSD FAQ about packages.
>
> The binary packages on FreeBSD are compiled with so few options available
> that you end up compiling the whole bunch from source anyway!
>
> A simple setup on a mailserver with Postfix, Dovecot, MySQL, and a couple
> of other packages doesn't work using the binary packages because they are
> NOT compiled to fit together!
>
> Now.. what the "¤"%"#!"!¤ is the point then!? Why don't we just forget
> about binary packages in FreeBSD and make everyone compile?
>
> There's no point in making those pre-made binary packages ready for usage
> when they are only freaking compiled to run alone without any kind of usage
> what so ever!
>
> Now.. was this post an "acid reflux"? Ooh.. yeah!
>
> Sorry, but I really think it's a shame.
>
> Some don't trust binary packages from FreeBSD and some just like to tweak -
> GREAT!
>
> But others just like to get some work done.. rather than compiling..
> compiling.. compiling..!

You want Postfix, Dovecot and MySQL. I want Postfix, Dovecot2 and SQLite 
3. Someone else wants Postfix, Cyrus IMAP and Postgresql. Whose personal 
choices should be given priority? (Rhetorical question - mine of course :-)

There's not that much compiling to do anyway, probably just a few hours 
even on a slow machine. Set up poudriere, only recompile when there's a 
security patch and do very little compiling, but have a system tailored 
to your needs. That's what many of us do.




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