Steven M. Bellovin wrote:
How well does pkgsrc work on a Mac? I just got one (mostly to deal with Word and Powerpoint files that Openoffice doesn't handle well), but of course need to add other software. Should I use pkgsrc? Macports? Other choices? (And, perhaps off-topic -- is there any way I can convert my exist file MacOS system to handle mixed case, or do I have to reinstall from CD?)
pkgsrc works pretty well on a Mac, and there are a handful of developers paying attention to it. Coming from pkgsrc on NetBSD, I've always found it much more comfortable than Fink or MacPorts.
We haven't documented or publicized this well enough -- mea culpa -- but you don't need a case-sensitive filesystem for pkgsrc anymore. The occasional package may break, but OS X is popular enough that the number is dwindling of its own accord.
I recently reinstalled my Mac Pro with a completely vanilla Leopard (which is to say, case-insensitive), and plan to start doing bulk builds on it soon. Likewise with my dual G4.
Sure I'm biased, but I think you should use pkgsrc. :-) - Amitai