No packages with 9.3-RELEASE? [was: Re: Port Changes FAQ]

[Ian Smith]

On Thu, 19 Jun 2014 06:59:06 +0100, Matthew Seaman wrote:
 > On 19/06/2014 04:31, Ian Smith wrote:
 > >  > pkg(8) is default in 10.0 and will be default in all releases to come on
 > >  > all branches from now on.  Given that the declared EoL of the old
 > >  > pkg_tools is due in September there's only one more release (9.3) that
 > >  > could possibly not have pkg(8) as default: however, my understanding is
 > >  > that there are no plans to provide any old-style packages with that release.
 > > 
 > > Please elaborate, Matthew?  This is the first I've heard of this, I've 
 > > seen nothing in -stable or elsewhere, and I'm more than a bit alarmed.
 > 
 > You managed to miss *all* the talk about pkg_tools being replaced by pkg(8)?

Not at all; I'm well aware of that, and am reminded with each pkg_add :)

I meant this is the first I've heard that a) 9.3 might not use pkg(8) as 
default and b) there may be no plans for old-style packages with 9.3, 
seeming to suggest no packages with 9.3; sorry if I misinterpreted you.

 > Note that I am not at all sure there will be no pkg_tools packages for
 > 9.3.  However I can be sure that there won't be any updates (including
 > security updates) to any old-style pkg_tools package sets after a couple
 > of months.

Fair enough.  If there were pkg_tools packages with it, people would 
have a month or two to upgrade, but clearly switching to pkg(8) first 
would be better in terms of long-term support for 9.3.  Like perhaps 
many folks, I'd much rather 9.3 be late than not as good as it can be.

 > > If 9.3 is not to have pkg(8) packages - whyever not? - and no old-style 
 > > packages, does this mean no package set at all for probably the last 2 
 > > year extended release on the 9 branch?  So will there be no DVD1 with a 
 > > (relatively) consistent set of packages?  Will there be no ports freeze?
 > 
 > Because the old package tools are obsolete and due to be discontinued in
 > a few months?  There will definitely be pkg(8) packages for 9.3.

Ok, glad to hear that.  So now it's just a matter of whether the install 
will support & use pkg(8) packages out of the box, especially from DVD.

 > There hasn't been a ports freeze for the last couple of releases; just a
 > slush and a moratorium on sweeping changes.

Yeah well it's pot luck really if integration of particularly X and KDE, 
Gnome etc works out.  KDE4 with 9.2-R was pretty iffy, but then I think 
KDE4 is generally sad, after using 3.5.10 happily on 8.2-R for years .. 

 > There will be pkg(8) packages on the DVD installer images.  If that
 > didn't work for you when installing 10.0 that's a bug.  You know that
 > all supported branches have the default package repositories enabled now
 > (including 8.4-RELEASE and 9.2-RELEASE)?  Do you also know how to turn
 > that off? Like this:
 > 
 >   echo 'FreeBSD: { enabled: no}' > /usr/local/etc/pkg/repos/FreeBSD.conf

Noticed that one just the other day; good to know if need be, thanks.

 > That should solve the problem with your systems wanting to connect to
 > the net.  However, that 'install packages  from installation media'
 > thing really should just work.

I was crook with a bad 'flu for a fortnight recently, and thought I saw 
something about some string indicating a CD/DVD install somewhere, but 
haven't been able to find it; perhaps I was delerious and imagined it :)

I'll dig out my notes from my 10.0-R install and see if I can chase 
that down .. it would be really handy for me at least if it worked from 
a memstick.  My longer-term ambition is still to have up to 4 install 
DVDs bootable from the one (say) 8GB stick; that should be doable.

And as soon as there's a 9.3 RC with a DVD with pkgs I'll give it a 
whirl from a memstick to help be sure that works ok before release.

Thanks, Ian