From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Aug 24 19:46:41 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 08D5216A4CE for ; Tue, 24 Aug 2004 19:46:41 +0000 (GMT) Received: from mail5.speakeasy.net (mail5.speakeasy.net [216.254.0.205]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CC8B343D3F for ; Tue, 24 Aug 2004 19:46:40 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org) Received: (qmail 23735 invoked from network); 24 Aug 2004 19:46:40 -0000 Received: from dsl092-078-145.bos1.dsl.speakeasy.net (HELO be-well.no-ip.com) ([66.92.78.145]) (envelope-sender ) by mail5.speakeasy.net (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP for ; 24 Aug 2004 19:46:40 -0000 Received: by be-well.no-ip.com (Postfix, from userid 1147) id D0F487D; Tue, 24 Aug 2004 15:46:39 -0400 (EDT) Sender: lowell@be-well.ilk.org To: "Charles Ulrich" References: <37045.24.11.146.21.1093373223.squirrel@freedombi.com> From: Lowell Gilbert Date: 24 Aug 2004 15:46:39 -0400 In-Reply-To: <37045.24.11.146.21.1093373223.squirrel@freedombi.com> Message-ID: <44smaciajk.fsf@be-well.ilk.org> Lines: 60 User-Agent: Gnus/5.09 (Gnus v5.9.0) Emacs/21.3 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Reinstalling, then upgrading (Was Re: Salvageable? (Was Re:make installworld error)) X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 19:46:41 -0000 "Charles Ulrich" writes: > Just out of curiosity, is it incorrect to simply say that ports build > packages? No, packages are indeed built from ports. > That is, once a piece of software is installed with 'make install', > is it treated the same as any package that was installed from the installation > CD? Not only are they handled the same, but once installed, they are completely indistinguishable. > (If not, or if the relationship is really a whole lot more complex than > that, then my rant below doesn't apply.) You understand it perfectly, except for the fact that the noun "package" is often used to refer to a tar file which can be fed to pkg_add(1). > A lot of new users can't readily tell the difference between a port and > package and frequently use the two terms interchangably. The handbook gives an > overview of both ports and package but stops short of clearly spelling out > this important distinction. You mean where it says: For any given application, the FreeBSD package for that application is a single file which you must download. The package contains pre-compiled copies of all the commands for the application, as well as any configuration files or documentation. A downloaded package file can be manipulated with FreeBSD package management commands, such as pkg_add(1), pkg_delete(1), pkg_info(1), and so on. Installing a new application can be carried out with a single command. A FreeBSD port for an application is a collection of files designed to automate the process of compiling an application from source code. That seems pretty clear about the distinction to me. > But at the same time, it also implies that ports > and packages are two completely separate ways of installing software when in > reality they are actually two parts of the same system. I'd say that they're actually two different ways of accessing the same database; a slight difference of emphasis... > The phrase "ports > build packages" is a neat and efficient way of rectifying the > misunderstandings that can occur when trying to give a proper explanation of > FreeBSD package management. A quick search on the FAQ and Handbook gives me the impression that most generic references discuss installing from "ports and(/or) packages" rather than one or the other. If you think you see specific places to improve the documentation, please write it up and submit it in a Problem Report. FreeBSD is, after all, a volunteer project...;2~