From owner-freebsd-doc@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Jan 4 01:28:33 2012 Return-Path: Delivered-To: doc@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 71C79106564A for ; Wed, 4 Jan 2012 01:28:33 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com) Received: from wonkity.com (wonkity.com [67.158.26.137]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2CD378FC12 for ; Wed, 4 Jan 2012 01:28:32 +0000 (UTC) Received: from wonkity.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by wonkity.com (8.14.5/8.14.5) with ESMTP id q041SWET018652; Tue, 3 Jan 2012 18:28:32 -0700 (MST) (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com) Received: from localhost (wblock@localhost) by wonkity.com (8.14.5/8.14.5/Submit) with ESMTP id q041SWRD018649; Tue, 3 Jan 2012 18:28:32 -0700 (MST) (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 18:28:32 -0700 (MST) From: Warren Block To: Benjamin Kaduk In-Reply-To: Message-ID: References: User-Agent: Alpine 2.00 (BSF 1167 2008-08-23) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed X-Greylist: Sender IP whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-4.2.7 (wonkity.com [127.0.0.1]); Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:28:32 -0700 (MST) Cc: doc@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Deciphering a Porter's Handbook paragraph X-BeenThere: freebsd-doc@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Documentation project List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:28:33 -0000 On Tue, 3 Jan 2012, Benjamin Kaduk wrote: > I don't think we've yet said something like: > LOCALBASE should be set to where existing ports have already been installed > (the ``base directory'' of where the ``local additions'' to the system have > been made); it is uncommon for having PREFIX != LOCALBASE in normal usage. > We probably should say something like that. ISWYM, but am going to delay on that for a bit to try to address the existing problems before adding information. The more I looked at section 9.4, the more I wanted to rework it. Here is the original: http://www.wonkity.com/~wblock/porters-handbook-orig/book.html#PORTING-PREFIX Here is a first pass at some improvements: http://www.wonkity.com/~wblock/porters-prefix/book.html#PORTING-PREFIX I removed the reference to LOCALBASE sometimes being /opt. Maybe it is, but that's covered under the "custom path". There are also the references to /usr/X11R6 and imake. Are those still relevant? Then there's this: The variable PREFIX can be reassigned in your Makefile or in the user's environment. However, it is strongly discouraged for individual ports to set the variable explicitly in the Makefiles. "You absolutely should not press this big shiny button right here." Or is that trying to say you can set PREFIX in make.conf or as an environment variable, but don't set it in the *port's* Makefile? Instead: PREFIX should not be set explicitly in a port's Makefile. Users installing the port may have reassigned PREFIX, and the port should respect that.