From owner-freebsd-ports Sat Sep 28 8:51:49 2002 Delivered-To: freebsd-ports@hub.freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.FreeBSD.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0A17637B401 for ; Sat, 28 Sep 2002 08:51:47 -0700 (PDT) Received: from freefall.freebsd.org (freefall.FreeBSD.org [216.136.204.21]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7315743E42 for ; Sat, 28 Sep 2002 08:51:46 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from gnats@FreeBSD.org) Received: from freefall.freebsd.org (gnats@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id g8SFpkCo098221 for ; Sat, 28 Sep 2002 08:51:46 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from gnats@freefall.freebsd.org) Received: (from gnats@localhost) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.12.6/8.12.6/Submit) id g8SFpjIW098219; Sat, 28 Sep 2002 08:51:45 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.FreeBSD.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3C25037B401 for ; Sat, 28 Sep 2002 08:49:38 -0700 (PDT) Received: from www.freebsd.org (www.FreeBSD.org [216.136.204.117]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B89D043E6A for ; Sat, 28 Sep 2002 08:48:17 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from nobody@FreeBSD.org) Received: from www.freebsd.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by www.freebsd.org (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id g8SFjb7R060653 for ; Sat, 28 Sep 2002 08:45:37 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from nobody@www.freebsd.org) Received: (from nobody@localhost) by www.freebsd.org (8.12.6/8.12.6/Submit) id g8SFjbFP060652; Sat, 28 Sep 2002 08:45:37 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <200209281545.g8SFjbFP060652@www.freebsd.org> Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2002 08:45:37 -0700 (PDT) From: Jonathan Laventhol To: freebsd-gnats-submit@FreeBSD.org X-Send-Pr-Version: www-1.0 Subject: ports/43454: Packages hard to find, often missing Sender: owner-freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk List-ID: List-Archive: (Web Archive) List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: X-Loop: FreeBSD.org >Number: 43454 >Category: ports >Synopsis: Packages hard to find, often missing >Confidential: no >Severity: serious >Priority: medium >Responsible: freebsd-ports >State: open >Quarter: >Keywords: >Date-Required: >Class: sw-bug >Submitter-Id: current-users >Arrival-Date: Sat Sep 28 08:50:02 PDT 2002 >Closed-Date: >Last-Modified: >Originator: Jonathan Laventhol >Release: 4.6.2-RELEASE (and many other -RELEASE) >Organization: Imagination Ltd >Environment: n/a >Description: It appears that the package mechanism is rusting, in that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get the packages from the web site. Specifically, http://www.freebsd.org/ports/index.html refers to packages but has no easy way to find them. Further, even if you can find a link to a package, it often doesn't exist. If we're not going to support packages, lets get rid of them so that users KNOW they have to learn how to compile things. >How-To-Repeat: http://www.freebsd.org/ports/index.html click on foe example java and not a single package is listed Instead you have to do a search, get a result which shows a different search input: http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/ports.cgi?query=java&stype=all now you can change the pulldown to 4.6-RELEASE and search which gives you: http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/ports.cgi?query=java&stype=all&release=4.6-RELEASE%2Fi386 These results have packages listed. BUT many of them don't exist, for example ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-4.6-release/All/jre-1.1.8.tgz there is no such file >Fix: This is a project management or web site problem. On the assumption that it's not a simple case of some files getting lost. Recommendations based on assumption that we are trying to help USERS rather than DEVELOPERS (for the simple reason that developers have more skills and ways to get out of problems) 1. Have the web site default 'applications' link be to latest -RELEASE rather than to -CURRENT 2. Rebuild the indexes more frequently ... the fact that the index says there is a package surely means that there was a package at some point. Even if it got removed (for good or bad reason) the web page link shouldn't dangle. 3. Find out why the packages aren't there and put them back My opinion is that the packages are one of the MOST important things about FreeBSD in relation to its usability. Best regards >Release-Note: >Audit-Trail: >Unformatted: To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-ports" in the body of the message