how to avoid recompiling applications?

[Lowell Gilbert]

Jonathan Horne <jhorne at dfwlp.com> writes:

> i have a system that i tend to tear up quite often.  sometimes accidently, 
> sometimes not.  recompiling kde is quite a long process (and when i try to do 
> it from packages, something is always messed up).
>
> so, i was under the impression that if you *did not* make install clean (thus, 
> only using 'make clean') and save your work directories, then when it came 
> time to reinstall something, you would not have to go thru the compile 
> process, and skip straight to the installation?
>
> example is, last night i compiled xorg from ports, but then tried to (against 
> my better judgement) pull down kde from packages.  utter catastrophe, after 
> removing the non-working kde-package, kde3 port would not even compile after 
> that.  anyway, long story short, i backed up 
> my /usr/ports, /usr/src, /usr/obj, and reinstalled.  using my restored backup 
> files, reapplying my old kernel and installworld went just without issue, i 
> skipped the buildworld and buildkernel just fine, no hitches.  but when i 
> went to reinstall the xorg from last night (all the work directories were 
> still there), 'make install' returned no output, and nothing happened.  what 
> gives?

"make reinstall".  See "man ports".

> i ended up having to do a make clean on my ports dir before i could continue.  
> in the future for me, is there a way to proeperly retain all the precompiled 
> stuff, and just skip right to the installation portion of my previously 
> compiled ports?

I would tend to build your own packages, and keep them around.  Then
you can reinstlal them easily.