Newbie Package Questions

[Kevin Kinsey]

Jim Angstadt wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I'm new to FreeBSD and a first time poster to this
> list. I have used Linux for several years but would
> like to see what FreeBSD is like.
>

Welcome!


> tiny# uname -a
> FreeBSD tiny.brc.localnet 
> 6.0-RELEASE FreeBSD 6.0-RELEASE #0: 
> Thu Nov  3 09:36:13 UTC 2005  
> root at x64.samsco.home:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/GENERIC 
> i386

<snip long, but perfectly acceptable narrative.>


> Good grief, what am I doing wrong?  This cannot be the
> correct way to manage errata.
> 
> Please accept my apologies for the long message, I
> wanted to give a fuller picture of these problems.
> 

NP.

First, foremost, **IANAE**, YMMV, #include <disclaimer.h>
and so on.  Really.

This tangled mess of dependencies is exactly what
the ports system was designed to solve.  Several
automated tools exist to help.  I'd suggest installing cvsup &
portupgrade, and running something like `portupgrade -arR`
(but check the manpage first to see what exactly that does).

I use portupgrade, and occasionally portmanager, to keep
almost 700 ports up to date on my workstation.  Colin Percival's
"portsnap" is up and coming, too, and I *think* is based on
binary patching. <??>

In the event that you prefer to use pre-compiled packages
(and it seems as if you have thus far), pass "-P" to portupgrade
as well, and it will do its best to avoid compiling software
during the upgrade process.

Dru Lavigne has a good article on using portupgrade and
friends at:

http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2003/08/28/FreeBSD_Basics.html


HTH,

Kevin Kinsey

-- 
University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.
		-- Henry Kissinger