From owner-freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Dec 2 15:08:31 2007 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D910E16A418 for ; Sun, 2 Dec 2007 15:08:31 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from david@vizion2000.net) Received: from dns1.vizion2000.net (77-99-36-42.cable.ubr04.chap.blueyonder.co.uk [77.99.36.42]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9758713C44B for ; Sun, 2 Dec 2007 15:08:31 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from david@vizion2000.net) Received: by dns1.vizion2000.net (Postfix, from userid 1007) id C69901CC46; Sun, 2 Dec 2007 07:25:24 -0800 (PST) From: David Southwell Organization: Voice and Vision To: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2007 07:25:24 -0800 User-Agent: KMail/1.9.7 References: <33640.194.74.82.3.1196149681.squirrel@galain.elvandar.org> <200712011450.58878.david@vizion2000.net> <20071201165954.S16007@cauchy.math.missouri.edu> In-Reply-To: <20071201165954.S16007@cauchy.math.missouri.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline Message-Id: <200712020725.24554.david@vizion2000.net> Subject: Re: duration of the ports freeze X-BeenThere: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Porting software to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 02 Dec 2007 15:08:32 -0000 On Saturday 01 December 2007 15:05:39 Stephen Montgomery-Smith wrote: > It's nothing like global warming. =A0Global warming is an ill understood > problem, with various estimates ranging from basically not existing to > it's too late and we are all doomed anyway, and the potential > consequences of not fixing it if it is a problem are widespread and > catastrophic. > > Issues with the ports freeze are very well understood, with consequences > of getting it wrong either way being fairly inconsequential, and always > something that can be revisited without the whole world going down the > tubes. =A0The very worst that can happen is that a marginally used operat= ing > system will go down the tubes, and someone will fork the code long before > that happens. > > To compare "ports freeze" to "global warming" is hyperbole in the extreme. I am not comparing a ports freeze to Global warming -- just likening the=20 responses to a problem.=20 Just like there were people in governemnt who tried to deny the need to tac= kle=20 global warming so there are those, in the freebsd community, who wish to bu= ry=20 their head in the sand to the apparen need to re-engineer the ports system = so=20 that ports freezes are unnecessary. There is also the need to deal with oth= er=20 historical deficiencies in the ports sytem (especially dependency system)=20 that are causing increasing problems. I have been using freebsd for over 14 years and am very aware the the=20 engineering processes of the 70's and 80's upon which it was based are now= =20 creaking at the seams. We need to engineer in a more scaleable fashion and = do=20 it before exponential growth in the ports system overwhelms else. Like dealing with global warming it is better to act early than too late. david