Packages available for different FreeBSD versions

[Chris Stankevitz]

Chuck Swiger wrote:
> 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.

Okay, I think I understand now.

Applications on a FreeBSD machine are broken into two categories:
1. Applications installed under /bin, /usr/bin, etc
2. Applications installed under /usr/local

The first group is called "core OS applications".  The second is called 
"ports applications."  FreeBSD developers think carefully before 
deciding in which group to place a new application.

Update applications in the first group using freebsd-update but first 
decide whether you want RELEASE, STABLE, or CURRENT.  Update 
applications in the second group using CVS on the ports tree.

Sometimes applications in the second group will require an update to the 
first group with a message like "Does not compile on FreeBSD < 7.0"

Some applications are in both groups and can exist simultaneously, such 
as GCC.

Thank you for your help everyone.  I am eager to try FreeBSD -- I had to 
install it recently and I loved the documentation.  Been using Gentoo 
for many years.

Chris