Flaws in the ports system?
Vizion
vizion at vizion.occoxmail.com
Thu Oct 20 12:44:51 PDT 2005
On Thursday 20 October 2005 10:47, the author nocturnal contributed to the
dialogue on-
Flaws in the ports system?:
>Hi
>
>This is a very low priority discussion but i was just wondering if there
>are any known design flaws in the ports system or other reasons for the
>ports to be replaced by a new system.
>
>I'm wondering because ever since i started with freebsd and then
>discovered the ports they have been working perfectly so i must know if
>they truly are perfect or if some of you gurus out there see flaws in
>the system.
The system meets its original design specification - so to that extent I do
not believe that the system is flawed. There is however, in my opinion, a big
BUT>>>>
With the changes in computing methodology and user expectations over the last
10 years the ports system appear to me to be in need of some immediate
serious revision if Freebsd is going to be seen as meeting current and future
challenges and user expectations. I am but one voice and what I have to say
is only my opinion. I see the following challenges:
1. The user tools for maintaining the local ports collection do not include an
integrated GUI for management of the ports tree, local installation,
automated upgrading of the ports combined with configuration files. Such a
management could be built using, for example, a web/database system or with a
framework such as Eclipse. FreeBSD has been built upon the traditional **ix
framework that relies, for its management, upon the sequential use of
multiple tools to solve problems. This is apowerful method for problem
solving but it has not traditionally included the kind of user friendly GUI
to which modern computer users are accustomed to and expect. To deliver a new
ports GUI would be a large project and, in a ddition to the foregoing
ewquirements, should include a sophisticated ability to search information
about th ports and link with port focused dynamic help files and provide an
efficient interuser dialogue for each port.
2. The ports system design takes for granted an application centric model
which was the only model current at the time the ports system was conceived.
This meant that all application were sorted into categories into which, by
and large, every known piece of software culd be fitted. The introduction of
a framework centric computing model (such as eclipse) and application which
rely upon layers (such as java) between the operating and the
application/framework have put strains upon the structure of the ports system
which it was not possible to anticipate at the design stage. The limitations
of the current ports hierarch have been the cause of substantial arguments
where I have been a vocal advocate for revision.
my two pennorth
David
--
40 yrs navigating and computing in blue waters.
English Owner & Captain of British Registered 60' bluewater Ketch S/V Taurus.
Currently in San Diego, CA. Sailing bound for Europe via Panama Canal after
completing engineroom refit.
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