From owner-freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Jun 9 16:20:50 2007 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ports@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 528A816A41F for ; Sat, 9 Jun 2007 16:20:50 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from david@vizion2000.net) Received: from dns1.vizion2000.net (77-99-36-42.cable.ubr04.chap.blueyonder.co.uk [77.99.36.42]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 20A3613C480 for ; Sat, 9 Jun 2007 16:20:49 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from david@vizion2000.net) Received: by dns1.vizion2000.net (Postfix, from userid 1007) id ECF521CC40; Sat, 9 Jun 2007 09:36:51 -0700 (PDT) From: David Southwell Organization: Voice and Vision To: ports@freebsd.org Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2007 09:36:51 -0700 User-Agent: KMail/1.9.6 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-Id: <200706090936.51775.david@vizion2000.net> Cc: Subject: ./options-descr file suggestion for ports X-BeenThere: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Porting software to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 09 Jun 2007 16:20:50 -0000 Hi Would it be possible , when a port has options, to ask porters if they would consider the merits/demerits of adding: 1. An ./options-descr file in the port directory that describes the options, their purpose and any notes about an option Reasons: This would be extremely useful for anyone not familiar with the port to help in the task of choosing which options to install. I realise that this would depend upon whether maintainers are willing to add an additional task to the already heavy burden they undertake. Maintainers who are willing to consider this idea but are reluctant to prepare the notes themselves but do not have the time or are for any reason reluctant to do so, could invite users to submit notes for incorporating in ./options-descr. By way of example I am just installing www/ruby-gem-rails and had no immediate idea whether or not to add fastcgi support without trying to find out whether it is or is not needed when one has mod_ruby installed and LoadModule ruby_module libexec/apache/mod_ruby.so in httpd.conf. A brief note in a ./options-descr could be very helpful, especially for some ports where the options are sometimes numerous and not always completely documented. A little bit of intial guidance about options would be most helpful to a system administrator who is not necessarily familiar with the a specific port. my two pennorth. david