docs/129464: using packages system

[Szilveszter Adam]

The following reply was made to PR docs/129464; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Szilveszter Adam <sziszi at bsd.hu>
To: freebsd-doc at freebsd.org, freebsd-gnats-submit at freebsd.org
Cc:  
Subject: Re: docs/129464: using packages system
Date: Sun, 7 Dec 2008 10:26:21 +0100

 On Sat, Dec 06, 2008 at 03:29:11PM +0000, guillaume wrote:
 > in the FreeBSD handbook, 4.4 (Using the Packages System), pkg_add and pkg_delete are obsolete commands to manage packages. it's quasi-impossible to control requirements packages with these commands.
 
 On this, I tend to agree. However, when starting out with a new system,
 these are the only commands that are available.
 
 > >Fix:
 > the good commands are portupgrade and pkg_deinstall.
 > the portupgrade tool must be natively integrated in FreeBSD.
 
 This is not possible with the current state of affairs, because
 portupgrade has external dependencies. It must rewritten first (like it
 happened with cvsup).
 
 > example of procedure:
 > 
 > 1) it's better to have PACKAGESITE to the last stable branch by default, no?
 
 No. Those packages were specifically made for the stable branch, not the
 release that you are trying to install. In most cases, it would probably
 work (but only, if you upgrade all packages at the same time and from
 tha same branch) but not always (eg if a component of the base has
 already been upgraded in the stable branch compared to your release and
 eg a library version has been bumped) 
 
 The trouble is, that on FreeBSD using packages was not the way to
 install third-party software. It was provided more as a quick aid or a
 convenience, but the recommended method was to use the ports and compile
 yourself. This procedure is well-tested and works fine today as well.
 Packages, by contrast, are trickier. Not just for FreeBSD: on most Linux
 distros, there is no option to eg only upgrade Firefox, unless the
 maintainer has specifically made a new package for the distro and
 release you are using; otherwise you must wait until the next release.
 On FreeBSD, by contrast, there was no problem with upgrading eg Firefox
 or even complex stuff like the whole KDE environment although the new
 FreeBSD release was still months away, since the ports system did the
 trick.
 
 > 2) install port collection with csup
 > 3) clean database with pkgdb -aF (is it necessary after the port collection install?)
 
 Not really, you did not install anything yet, so there is no database.
 
 > 4) to install the xfce package: portinstall -RPP xfce
 > 5) to upgrade the xfce package: portupgrade -RPP xfce
 > 6) to delete the xfce package: pkg_deinstall -r xfce
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > PS: it's not convenient to install the port collection if one only use packages. a solution to this will be good for the future...
 
 Only, if there will be a decision that binary packages will be the
 primary method of installing third-party software on FreeBSD. This is
 not the case today.
 
 -- 
 Regards:
 
 Szilveszter ADAM
 Budapest
 Hungary