Re: dfports / pkgsrc

[walt <wa1ter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Joerg Sonnenberger wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 01, 2005 at 03:35:22PM -0700, walt wrote:

> > The pkgsrc project seems to be understaffed...

> ...That doesn't mean that
> maintaing pkgsrc or ports *needs* that much man power.

Well, take my jdk14 example:  pkgsrc has only the linux-binary
package, except the one in wip (which is broken) and the person
listed as maintainer has not responded to my posts or emails.


> > ...there was a recent thread here on pkgsrc and
> > whether it has a substitute for 'portupgrade'.  Someone suggested that
> > 'pkg_chk' does the same thing, but I feel that it most certainly does
> > not even come close.


> What requirements do you have it doesn't fullfil? Be precise before asking
> for something else please :)

I'm glad you asked :o)  This is a quote from the pkg_chk manpage:

   "Note: If the update fails (particularly when building from
    source), the system will be left with missing packages."

As I discovered (several times before finally coming to my senses)
this means (for example) that updating gnome is a disaster almost
every time -- because one of the dozens of gnome packages will
inevitably fail to build.  And that means no gnome desktop until
you can nag the maintainer into fixing the bug -- if you can find
him.

This is a problem that portupgrade solved long ago.  Why does everyone
want to reinvent that wheel?  Marc Espie has been working on the OpenBSD
packaging system for years and it still doesn't solve that problem as
well as portupgrade.  I hope asmodai will have better luck when he
reinvents his own wheel ;o)