Packages available for different FreeBSD versions

[Chuck Swiger]

On Aug 17, 2009, at 3:39 PM, Chris Stankevitz wrote:
> Chuck Swiger wrote:
>> If you just want security updates and no other changes, you'd  
>> update against RELENG_7_2 instead.
>
> Here are you referring only to security updates to the "core OS" and  
> not applications in "ports" such as Firefox?

That's right, yes.

>> In the BSDs, the baseline or core OS is separate from installed  
>> ports or packages, and is updated separately from them.
>
> What's an example of something that is in "the core OS" and not in  
> the "ports"?  GCC?  the shells? the kernel?

Yes, all of the above.  Basically, ports (or packages) install under / 
usr/local; everything else under /bin, /usr/bin, etc is part of the  
core OS.

However, if you wanted to install another version of GCC, you could  
have both the one which comes with the system and a port version  
present.  Likewise for things like sendmail, BIND, openssl, and so  
forth which normally come with the core OS, but may not be updated as  
rapidly as the version in ports is.

-- 
-Chuck