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Date:      Thu, 29 Nov 2001 15:23:27 +0000
From:      Josh Paetzel <friar_josh@webwarrior.net>
To:        "Philip J. Koenig" <pjklist@ekahuna.com>
Cc:        questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Am I forced to install Xfree86?
Message-ID:  <20011129152327.D522@twincat.vladsempire.net>
In-Reply-To: <3C05DAEE.4140.1F43C46@localhost>; from pjklist@ekahuna.com on Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 06:51:26AM -0800
References:  <3C05DAEE.4140.1F43C46@localhost>

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On Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 06:51:26AM -0800, Philip J. Koenig wrote:
> Speaking of the devil here.. (see below)
> 
> Can someone please tell me *why* installing the port of a simple 
> command-line ping utility (mtr, otherwise known as Matt's traceroute) 
> requires retrieving 30MB of Xfree86 files, compiling and installing, 
> on a machine that doesn't run X?  It seems to have something to do 
> with "gmake", which is a dependency of mtr.

No.  In the case of mtr, it's the gtk dependancy that is the issue.  
In reality the question of a port dependancy isn't a FreeBSD issue per 
sae, it's an issue with the port.  If you want to know "why" the port 
requires a certain dependancy, it's probably more productive to ask 
the port maintainer or the author of the program.  I doubt that 
knowing the answer to the why question is going to change the fact 
that X is a required dependancy, though.  

A quick look at the Makefile for a port will tell you what 
dependancies it relies upon.  Occasionaly there are ports that can be 
built with a WITHOUT_X=YES target as well.  (cvsup-bin comes to mind)

As a test, I built mtr on my X workstation and it in fact is not a 
command line program at all.  It came up in a gtk window and was all 
pointy clicky.  I built it on my firewall, which does not have X, and 
it installed as a command line program, but it did give me this 
message: To install with GTK support type WITH_GTK=YES.

So to me it looks as if it should work just fine in either 
environment.  It made no attempt to fetch X or gtk on my firewall.
 
> Am I really *that* insane wanting to build BSD boxes without X, when 
> simple command-line utilities like that force me to install all that 
> stuff anyway?

No.  But you are insane to want to use X based programs without X. ;)
Pick your poison carefully.

Josh





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