I use the stable branch as my only branch.  I use one machine to build packages and make binary packages, then install those binary packages on the rest of my machines as well as the NetBSD machine at the radio station I work at.  My machines access them via NFS and the machine at the station accesses them via FTP.  I also have a Mac that has access to the stable branch on the machine that has it via NFS, and I use the Mac to build macppc packages and binary packages.

It's nice not to have to deal with (as many) broken packages as in the current branch, all the while being able to compile features in or leave them out as I choose.

From the standpoint of people who don't want to/can't use pkgsrc to build their own packages (people who only have dialup for example and don't have the time or the bandwidth to download source code), the stable branches and the bulk builds of binary packages being made from them mean that they don't have to wait until the next version of NetBSD comes out to get up-to-date third-party software, and it means that binary packages are available for platforms other than the i386 and possibly for other operating systems as well.  This alone justifies the existence of the stable branch IMO, and it means that pkgsrc in general is more stable than other software packaging systems.

- Dave V.

On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 11:18:14 -0400
Johnny Lam <jlam@pkgsrc.org> wrote:

> I'm curious as to how many people are using the pkgsrc "stable" branches 
> (pkgsrc-YYYYQQ).  The pkgsrc developers spend quite a bit of time 
> creating and maintaining these branches, and I want to get a feel for 
> whether this is time well-spent.
> 
> I personally use the stable branch on production servers.  I find it 
> avoids the chaos of keeping up with rapidly changing PKGREVISIONs that 
> happen on pkgsrc HEAD at times.  I keep a sandbox handy for rebuilding 
> packages when there is a security update on the stable branch, and I 
> update all of my software to the newest stable branch every quarter.
> 
> Is anyone else using the pkgsrc stable branch?  If so, how do you use it?