Re: nvidia-driver and no update in /usr/ports/UPDATING

On Thu, Apr 7, 2022 at 4:01 PM tech-lists <tech-lists@zyxst.net> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Trying to be a good sysadmin, i like to regularly update. Imagine my
> surprise when my desktop wouldn't load xorg. I mean, I checked
> in /usr/ports/UPDATING, and to be sure, /usr/src/UPDATING,
> *nothing* about nvidia to be found for around this time. As I'm
> sure everyone here is aware, we are exhorted to check UPDATING
> so we're not caught out.
>
> So *WHY* were the consequences of PR 261666 not in /usr/ports/UPDATING?
> nvidia-driver was updated to (560) i think. 5-something.. the instance
> before
> was moved to nvidia-driver-470 as it's now legacy. That's great and all,
> but *WHY* the *F**K* isn't in *UPDATING??!??!?!?!*
>
> Why have /usr/ports/UPDATING at all if you're not, like, gonna update it?!
>
> This isn't the first or second time, with other widely-used ports.
>
> I don't use a whole load of ports. This is a desktop, so ~1500 ports or so.
> It ain't just me using freebsd as a desktop, and it ain't just me using
> nvidia-driver.
>
> Lots of ppl might be disinclined to fire off an email like this.
> "Install linux, at least it works", theyll say. And they'll delete FreeBSD.
>
> Great job. Not.
> --
> J.
>

First, this issue does not belong in /usr/src/UPDATING. X and all graphics
is not a part of the base system in FreeBSD. It is in many ports, though,
so any such information belongs in /usr/ports/UPDATING.

I will also say that I have been annoyed several times by changes that
impacted operations that were not mentioned in UPDATING. I don't go yell
obscenely to the world about it. I drop a note to the maintainer (
freebsd-x11@freebsd.org in this case) reminding them that this change
really needs to be documented so people will not have very irritating
problems. If this does not work, I open a ticket which will, at least,
annoy the maintainer(s) into taking some action.

Much of the work done to make FreeBSD progress is by volunteers, although
more and more is paid for by donations (FreeBSD Foundation) or by employees
of companies that depend on it for their products/services. The volunteers
are likely to just get mad and stop helping if this sort of thing comes
very often.

Please excuse me (or don't) the next time you have a question to which I
know the answer and just ignore it.
-- 
Kevin Oberman, Part time kid herder and retired Network Engineer
E-mail: rkoberman@gmail.com
PGP Fingerprint: D03FB98AFA78E3B78C1694B318AB39EF1B055683