Replacing base commands with pkg versions

[Lorenzo Salvadore]

> On 29/01/2019 12:31, Lorenzo Salvadore via freebsd-questions wrote:
>
> > > What is the recommended way of dealing with the base versions of
> > > commands when installing a package version instead? Should I chmod -x
> > > the base executable(s), delete them or rename them? What happens if I
> > > subsequently do a freebsd-update - do the base executables get
> > > reinstated or are they ignored?
> > > The specific case I'm interested in is unbound under 11.2, but this
> > > applies to a variety of programs (CUPS vs base lpr, or base vs pkg llvm
> > > come to mind) and if there's any official guidance on this I've missed it.
> >
> > I cannot give you an official answer, but if you always want to have the pkg
> > version getting precedence on the base version, I would reorder the PATH
> > variable.
> > If instead you want to mix versions, I would not change the base system, I
> > would rather create aliases for the shell.
>
> In this case I specifically want to disable the base commands, and want
> them to be disabled under all circumstances, hence the suggestions of
> chmod -x, etc.

If you really know what you're doing then locate the base program, rename it (to
keep a backup) and make a link to the pkg version in the base location with the
original name. (Again, there is nothing official about this approach.)

Be carefull: packages are tested with a base system unchanged, hence there is no
guarantee that if a software you install depends on a command in base that you
changed it will still work.

Maybe you should think if there is a better way to achieve your goal than
using pkg versions instead of base. Can you tell us what's the reason base is
not good enough for you?

Lorenzo Salvadore.