Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2001 22:56:17 -0400 From: Gerry Freymann <freymann@scaryg.shacknet.nu> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Question about Ports vs Packages and Updating them Message-ID: <20011008225617.27f66dda.freymann@scaryg.shacknet.nu>
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After getting myself into trouble with Gnome/Sawfish by updating a few "ports" (it completely broke them), and then having the fun of screwing around with the system for about 4 days trying to get my graphical envirnoment back, I have a few questions. I keep up with the Stable branch, and like a good boy, I have a cron job set up to keep my ports collection up to date once a week. Me being somewhat accustomed to the windoze environment, when I notice some "ports" showing updates available, I think I should download and install the upgrades. Does the old adage, "If it ain't broke? don't fix it" apply? I only ask because updating a few ports caused me no end of grief. Then we have packages. I'm currently running FreeBSD 4.3 Stable. If I head into /stand/sysinstall and muck with packages, well, I can't (or it won't let me) because 4.4 is now out. So I pull out my FreeBSD 4.3 CD-ROM and install packages from CD. But this is my other question... it would appear if you select a package, even though you may have a later release of the "port" on your system, it will go ahead and install the lower release package, which doesn't make much sense to me. And then it appears as if you have both versions installed. I ended up having to delete all ports relating to Gnome, and when I try to rebuild it from the ports, program after program would not compile. I finally got it down to getting nowhere because the gnomecore would not complete, so the other 13 or so ports wouldn't compile either. I gave up. Deleted them all again, used the CD and went with KDE this time. And that's my third (and last) question: why set up a cvsup to update the ports, if, when you're "stuck" and fall back to packages, it only mucks up your entire port collection? Any comments? -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Scary Gerry -- Senior Systems Manager freymann@scaryg.shacknet.nu Now enjoying FreeBSD 4.3-Release along with KDE -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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