old ports/packages

[Torsten Zuehlsdorff]

On 04.05.2016 09:03, Greg Byshenk wrote:
> On Wed, May 04, 2016 at 01:44:29PM +0800, Julian Elischer wrote:
>> On 3/05/2016 2:31 PM, Mathieu Arnold wrote:
>>> +--On 3 mai 2016 12:02:13 +0800 Julian Elischer <julian at freebsd.org> wrote:
>>> | On 2/05/2016 8:39 PM, Mathieu Arnold wrote:
>
>>> |> There is a tag, https://svnweb.freebsd.org/ports/tags/PKG_INSTALL_EOL/
>>> |> that gives you the last version to support pkg_install.  Anything after
>>> |> that will not work with it.  At all.
>
>>> | I'm not looking to produce old packages of the ports tree.. I know the
>>> | ports crew would hate me for that.
>>> |
>>> | What I object to is not having the tools needed to generate MY OWN
>>> | PACKAGES in ports.
>
>>> You can generate your own packages from the ports tree, just not with
>>> pkg_install, it was deprecated three or four years ago, and remove 19
>>> months ago.
>
>> Of course I can create NEW packages..  I want to generate OLD style
>> packages..
>>
>> what's so hard to understand about that?  if a company has old
>> packages build into it's infrastructure....
>>
>> and has to create old style packages of "proprietary stuff" to send
>> out to appliances out in the field then you are breaking them.
>
> I'm not a developer, so anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong
> in any of this, but...
>
> Julian, you -can- create old-style packages (eg: of proprietary
> internal software); you just have to do it based on an old-style
> ports tree (which you can checkout, if you need it, as noted
> above).
>
> What you cannot do is create old-style packages from a new ports
> tree. This is because the ports infrastructure has been changing
> since pkg_install was deprecated, and pkg_install simply will not
> work with the current ports tree (and, as I understand it, cannot
> practically be modified in order to work with it).

You are mostly correct. It is possible to modify and old ports-tree to 
get the new software in. I have at least two customer paying me for 
exact this work. But to be fair: it is no fun and harder with every new 
release :D

I suppose what some customer need is an LTS version. Missing one is a 
show stopper for FreeBSD usage in many firms i talked to. I do not think 
this is a good idea from a technical point - but firms are slow and want 
stability.

Greetings,
Torsten