setting X11BASE

[Paul Schmehl]

--On Thursday, February 21, 2008 23:07:29 -0800 perryh at pluto.rain.com wrote:

> After updating with portsnap, I am getting an insufficiently-helpful
> error message:
>
>     On FreeBSD before 6.2 ports system unfortunately can not set
>     default X11BASE by itself so please help it a bit by setting
>     X11BASE=${LOCALBASE} in make.conf.  On the other hand, if
>     you do wish to use non-default X11BASE, please set variable
>     USE_NONDEFAULT_X11BASE.
>
> * Am I correct in *guessing* that "make.conf" refers to
>   /etc/make.conf?
>

Yes.

> * What is the value of LOCALBASE?  I'm not finding any
>   definition, or other reference, in /etc/make.conf.
>

LOCALBASE is /usr/local unless you've changed it (but then you would already 
know what it was if you had.)  You can find its value in /usr/ports/Mk/

 grep "LOCALBASE?=" /usr/ports/Mk/*
/usr/ports/Mk/bsd.port.mk:LOCALBASE?=           /usr/local

> * How do I figure out whether I should set USE_NONDEFAULT_X11BASE?

See below.

>
> * Why does it even need this?  The port I am trying to install
>   ATM (portmaster, to get a handle on the dependency maze) has
>   nothing to do with X11.
>

It needs it because there are ports in the x11/xorg system that are 
dependencies for ports that have nothing to do with a GUI.  Libraries are 
frequently used to incorporate certain functionalities without having to 
reinvent an already well vetted wheel.

> In case it matters, I have not upgraded to the modular Xorg, and
> would prefer not to go through all that.  "It ain't broke ..."

You're going to regret that decision more and more over time.  In fact, if you 
want to stay with the old system, you're probably going to need to put 
USE_NONDEFAULT_X11BASE?=/usr/X11R6 in your make.conf file to keep your ports 
from breaking in interesting ways.

All the ports are now being built with the assumption that X11BASE==LOCALBASE. 
Read /usr/ports/UPDATING carefully before proceeding.

-- 
Paul Schmehl (pauls at utdallas.edu)
Senior Information Security Analyst
The University of Texas at Dallas
http://www.utdallas.edu/ir/security/