FreeBSD Ports for GNU/Linux 294
proclus writes: "GNU-Darwin has provided a special FreeBSD ports tarball (20 Mb) for GNU/Linux users. We have modified the FreeBSD Ports System to bring thousands of free software offerings within the reach of every GNU/Linux user. The system is not fully automated yet, but you can untar it in your home directory and try it. Just follow these directions. This system provides full access to the FreeBSD ports, so that users can compile and install software in their home directories. Root access is not required."
Its all about the Debians (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, how is this better than Rock [rocklinux.org] Linux?
Rock's package management system is source based, and updates, etc...
And as for elitism, I spoke with the creater on the phone a few years ago when he was starting it, and he's a really jolly bloke.
Re:FreeBSD programs w/in reach of Linux users? (Score:2, Interesting)
So, I'm curious - what happens when you upgrade one of your big system libraries this way? Does the ports system automatically recompile any affected apps, or re-fetch them, or what? Not that I'm saying Debian necessarily handles this any better (I wouldn't know). Heck, at least with a packaging system, you know what the dependencies are for various apps. If everything's built from source, do you even know which apps were built against which library versions?
Gentoo and the Portage Based Linux Distro (Score:3, Interesting)
One use of a Linux distro like Gentoo would be to add a user-friend-idiot-proof OS installer that plug-n-play auto detects everything about your hardware, from the exact CPU type, MB type, memory type, graphics card, sound, etc... and then keep that system specific info in a local database. After this part of the installation, and for the rest of the life of the system, whenever you install ANY application on your system, the software is automatically optimized and compiled for your specific setup. Applications could be optimized for your CPU-type and the amount of RAM that you have. Maybe even your video card and sound card could be taken into consideration. If you don't have a sound card, any references to sound could be compiled out of the application. If your video card only supports 256 colors, then perhaps, the desired application could automatically be optimized for such a platform.
This would allow application developers to program with a greater assumed knowledge of the end user's system, and it would make it easier for the end user to have a totally tweaked out Linux setup, apps and all! Not to mention the fact that the Gentoo Portage system deals with dependencies automatically, furthur easing end user headaches.
Closed source simply couldn't compete with such a Linux distro because closed source software (Windows for example) is compiled for the average hardware setup, which sacrifices performance for generality, while a Gentoo based Linux Distro could automatically reconfigure itself to tighly fit your exact hardware setup, which keeps generality and great performance.
Re:FreeBSD programs w/in reach of Linux users? (Score:2, Interesting)
apt-get build-dep
From the help of apt-get:
build-dep - Configure build-dependencies for source packages
This should do pretty mush what ports do!
Increased Cooperation Is Good For Both Camps (Score:3, Interesting)
Demonstrate strong interoperability but still have a choice what OS you want to run (*BSD, Linux, MacOSX, etc).
Increase availability of all kinds of software and toolkits between almost all of the anti-MS players.
Accellerate development for both platforms by encouraging developers to optimize their software for both camps.
:)
Now this is a lot to say for such a rudimentary project (and I'm sure the list could go on), but the ideals are there. Imagine if we had increased/improved interoperability between the KDE and GNOME projects (instead of a lot of bitching about the other "sucking ass"). Say, tools that helped unify the appearance of widgets, code sharing layers, and so on.
So, wordiness aside, unity is good.
Anything you untar, I can apt-get better. (Score:2, Interesting)
I don't know about the rest of the world, but I don't have the disk space, the processor power, and the time to compile everything that I can currently just get from the Debian archives with apt-get. I can try and trash software relatively thoughtlessly.
I used to play things the build-your-own linux way. I have also used *BSD enough to understand the joy of ports when compared to the build-your-own method.
Perhaps this would be more of an issue once a "bad-guy" makes his way into the Debian Maintainership and gets a package out there that sends everyone's encryption keys off to Osama Bin Ladin Land (the Terrorist Place on Earth ). But then again, do you check every line of source before compiling?