Re: PKGBASE Removes FreeBSD Base System Feature

On Sat, 9 Aug 2025 09:08:53 +0200
Michal Meloun <mmel@FreeBSD.org> wrote:

> On 8/9/2025 8:52 AM, David G Lawrence wrote:
> >> On 9 Aug 2025, at 07:29, David Greenman-Lawrence <dg@dglawrence.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> FWIW, I do have an opinion on this: I think that "pkg delete -af" is
> >>> a useful thing that should not destroy your base system. We should find
> >>> a way to make that work as it always has
> >>
> >> Today, it will destroy any kernel modules installed from packages, including those necessary for the display to work. It will destroy the ability for WiFi to work if you???re using wifibox. There are a lot of other things in ports that are essential to the system for some systems.
> > 
> >     We can fix that, too. ...but destroying kernel modules doesn't mean your
> > system doesn't work - it just means X11 won't work when you reboot - but then
> > it wouldn't anyway because you deleted X11. But, here's the thing: X11 didn't
> > work when you first installed the base system, either. And perhaps your
> > Wifi didn't work out of the box, either. So you have some work to do to
> > get back basic functionality - but you knew that when you did the
> > "pkg delete -af" in the first place.
> > 
> > -DG
> 
> I cannot but agree wholeheartedly.. The actual situation with
> pkg delete and pkgbase is (for me) simply absurd.
> 
> kmod in the ports is a different problem – it shows the inability of 
> FBSD developers to implement these things on their own,  so this 
> solution  has some problems.  And don't kill me, I fully understand that 
> it's not possible , but that doesn't change the previous fact.
> 
> Michal

Sometimes yes, but sometimes no.

On early but widely testable developement phase for drivers, especially
SD card drivers, network (including but not limited with WiFi) drivers
and disk controllers, base is not a good place even for FreeBSD-native
drivers.

This is because turnaround time for implememt (fix) / test / commit
on base is usually take much longer days (or even months!) than in
ports. So recently, AFAIK, some drivers are first developed as
kmod ports, and once stabilized, merged into main branch of src.

What comes in my mind is rtsx driver for Realtek SD card reader driver.

-- 
Tomoaki AOKI    <junchoon@dec.sakura.ne.jp>