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	Mon, 31 Mar 1997 08:14:56 -0500 (EST)
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 08:14:56 -0500 (EST)
From: John Fieber <jfieber@indiana.edu>
To: =?KOI8-R?B?4c7E0sXKIP7F0s7P1w==?= <ache@nagual.ru>
cc: Kevin Eliuk <kevin_eliuk@sunshine.net>,
        FreeBSD-Ports <freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject: Re: Error installing pine-3.96
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.970331094706.299D-100000@nagual.ru>
Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.95q.970331080026.290I-100000@fallout.campusview.indiana.edu>
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On Mon, 31 Mar 1997, [KOI8-R] Андрей Чернов wrote:

> On Sun, 30 Mar 1997, Kevin Eliuk wrote:
> 
> > > install -d -o bin -g bin -m 755  /usr/local/share/doc/pine
> > 
> > > usage: install [-Ccdps] [-f flags] [-g group] [-m mode] [-o owner] file1
> > file2; 	or file1 ... fileN directory
> 
> > Please help a NEWBIE with fixing the above.
> 
> There is no fixes needed, ports are -current only.

<soapbox>

Is it just me, or is there something fundamentally amiss with the
principle that ports are only supported on an unreleased version
of the operating system used by a minority of the user base? 

Sure, it is sometimes a little extra work to check for 2.2.x, or
2.1.x compatability, and in some cases (particualarly 2.1.x) it
just isn't practical but can porters at least *try* on occasion?
This is especially valuable for (a)  popular ports such as pine
and (b)  updated ports that contain important security fixes.
For many ports, there simply isn't a good excuse to not work on
older releases.

If the ports mechanisim (bsd.port.mk) is the problem, can we
provide a "port system upgrade" port? 

I find the blanket statement that ports are -current only very
troubling, and potentially damaging to the FreeBSD user base.

</soapbox>

...and now back to your regularly scheduled broadcast...

-john