From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Mon Jan 30 20:58:29 2012
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 232FB106566B
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:58:29 +0000 (UTC)
	(envelope-from b.smeelen@ose.nl)
Received: from mail.ose.nl (mail.ose.nl [212.178.134.164])
	by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id AF1448FC08
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:58:28 +0000 (UTC)
X-Footer: b3NlLm5s
Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]) by mail.ose.nl
	(using TLSv1/SSLv3 with cipher AES128-SHA (128 bits))
	for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:58:26 +0100
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:58:26 +0100
From: Bas Smeelen <b.smeelen@ose.nl>
To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Message-ID: <20120130215826.140fa9df@mpw>
In-Reply-To: <CAGy-+i-6GLfoUuhUExjnVEKhM00TuUimhKuhboLkjBeXNk9hFg@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAGy-+i-6GLfoUuhUExjnVEKhM00TuUimhKuhboLkjBeXNk9hFg@mail.gmail.com>
X-Mailer: Claws Mail 3.8.0 (GTK+ 2.24.6; i386-portbld-freebsd9.0)
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Subject: Re: Unable to upgrade packages on FreeBSD
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5
Precedence: list
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:58:29 -0000

On Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:52:07 -0500
David Jackson <djackson452@gmail.com> wrote:

> I have tried endlessly to no avail to upgrade binary the packages on
> Freebsd to the latest version. I have tried:
> 
> *portupgrade -PP -a
> *portmaster -PP -a
> *pkg_update
> 
> All fail miserably and totally and have left the system in an
> unuseable state.

What's unusable? For instance, servers are perfectly usable without
graphical tools. If you have tried `endlessly` why didn't you
consult /usr/ports/UPDATING and just recompile the ports without
using binary packages?
Or you might want to try PCBSD, it's FreeBSD with some fancy stuff
taken care of which might solve the problem you complain about. 
> 
> Why can't FreeBSD just make the package system "just work". Right
> after installing FreeBSD I should be able to type a single command
> such as update_packages and it should update all packages on the
> system, with no errors and without requiring any configurations to be
> troubleshooted, it should work out of the box.
> 
> Why not? Why is something so simple so difficult and impossible?
> Ubuntu can do it, why not FreeBSD?

FreeBSD unlike Ubuntu is an entirely volunteer project. Ubuntu has
a dedicated corporation working on it and I guess a larger user base.
> 
> Why cant FreeBSD  Just make the package upgrades work.

Because uh well it's not up to FreeBSD since the ports work perfectly
with the documentation that comes with it or it might depend on the user
base also, but _you_ can help to make binary package upgrades work
better.


Disclaimer: http://www.ose.nl/email