Port, Packages, and Patching, Upgrading

[Allen]

Hi,

I've been trying to find info about this, so I'm Hoping someone here
will know about this; I use FreeBSD 8.2-RELEASE, and basically, the
normal way I do things, is like this:

I grab the CD, boot, and install the Base System. Once I've booted, I'll
then use one of the two:

pkg_add -r bunch of packages

or

sysinstall > Configure > Packages

Then I go through the menus, and select what software I want, and,
eventually, I'll tell it to start installing.

Now, I've been reading about Ports more and more, and thought about
maybe just using those instead, but even with upgrade_pkg from
bsdaminscripts, I just can NOT seem to upgrade anything.

I'd like to have my system fully patched, but most of the data I find,
is about how to keep ports up to date, and has very little on Packages /
Binaries.

I don't think it matters much why I choose Binary Packages over Ports,
I'm just looking to make sure the emails I get every once in a while on
the root account will FINALLY not have a huge list of stuff that I need
to either "delete / uninstall, or upgrade" and have no idea how.

I mainly used Linux, so I AM a little more used to everything being
patched at once, like Slackware, where you can type one command and
install patches and stuff to everything you have installed, be it the
Kernel, or an Xterm, or X itself, or Pidgin.

Any of you that use pkg_add and Sysinstall to install packages, can you
maybe describe what you do to install updates, Patches, or just in
general, keep your system patched?

I'd really appreciate that.

-Allen