Re: ports and PBIs

Sam Fourman Jr. wrote:
> I do have a question, assuming PBI's were merged officially into the
> FreeBSD ports tree,
> say I had PostgreSQL Server installed, via PBI. then I wanted to tweak
> a setting so I:
> 
> cd /usr/ports/databases/postgresql84-server/ && make deinstall clean
> 
> would the PBI at this point be removed? or no because it is self contained?

Basically, I believe the proposal here is to add:
   * make pbi
to the ports build system to create a PBI from a
port and possibly add
   * make installpbi
   * make deinstallpbi
to install/deinstall just the resulting PBI.

In particular, I don't think anyone is suggesting
removing or changing any existing ports/package
capability.  People who are happy with the existing
ports/package system could continue using it exactly
as-is.

This would imply that you might build Postgres
and install it both as a port/package and simultaneously
as a PBI.  I'm not sure what that would mean, though.

The big question, of course: what impact would the
addition of "make pbi" have on existing port/package
support efforts?  Is this creating extra work for
existing maintainers?  Should it be optional
(enabled per-port) or somehow default?

I suspect the next step is for someone to put forward
a proposed implementation of "make pbi" so those
interested can start trying it out and see what the
impacts are.  (If only the GSoC proposal deadline
hadn't already passed. ;-)

Tim