What does it mean to use ports?

[George Hartzell]

hw writes:
 > Hi,
 > 
 > so I wanted to see what would happen if I used a port and removed the
 > emacs-nox packages and its dependencies.  Then I started installing the
 > emacs port.
 > [...]

Another HEADS UP: 

- It's safe to install your stuff from the official package repository
  and it's safe to install your stuff by building it all from the
  ports tree.

- It may or may not work out if you install some stuff from the
  official packages repo (which was built from the ports tree as it
  stood 3-12 months ago) and some stuff from the current ports tree.
  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  

Choosing one approach or the other is generally safer.

The third hand (gripping hand, for you Pohl fans) is to build all of
your things offline using poudriere/synth and then manage them with
the pkg tools.  It works best when you know what you want, and/or can
be patient when you decide you want new things.

g.