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Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 12:59:21 -0600 (MDT)
From: Warren Block <wblock@wonkity.com>
To: Walter Hurry <walterhurry@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Purpose of /usr/local/lib/compat/pkg?
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On Tue, 16 Jul 2013, Walter Hurry wrote:

> On Tue, 16 Jul 2013 10:05:19 -0700, Charles Swiger wrote:
>
>> Hi--
>>
>> On Jul 16, 2013, at 9:57 AM, Walter Hurry <walterhurry@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> What is the purpose of /usr/local/lib/compat/pkg?
>>
>> It holds old versions of shared libraries which were once used by
>> installed ports.
>>
>>> As far as I can see, in a properly organised system, all the shared
>>> libraries in there should be redundant.
>>
>> True, assuming you've recompiled all of your ports to use the latest
>> versions. However, if you ever have to roll something back, it will
>> continue to work if these old shared libs are available.
>>
>>> If this is correct, is there an easy way to clear them out, or should I
>>> just rm?
>>
>> If you're low on space, sure, you can just rm them.  Don't bother
>> otherwise...
>>
> Thanks. No, I'm not desperately low on space; I just like to keep things
> tidy.

Install the excellent sysutils/bsdadminscripts and run pkg_libchk to 
check for packages still depending on those libraries or missing ones. 
If it doesn't complain, it's safe to delete them.  Otherwise, rebuild 
everything it complains about first.