Re: pkgtools/pkg status in NetBSD with pkgsrc, does anybody use it?

["Thomas Mueller" <mueller6725%twc.com@localhost>]

> > pkg, the main feature of pkgng in FreeBSD, replaced the traditional
> > pkg_* tools that were about the same as what is still in use in
> > NetBSD with pkgsrc.
        
> No, the pkgsrc pkg_install tools have diverged considerably from the
> FreeBSD ones.  It underwent almost an entire rewrite a few years ago.

But then as I pointed out, FreeBSD pkgng diverged considerably and is not compatible with old pkg_* tools.

In the era of old pkg_* tools, format of /var/db/pkg looked about the same between FreeBSD and NetBSD/pkgsrc.
        
> > There was a pkg2ng to convert from old format to new, but that is no
> > longer around, since FreeBSD versions that used old pkg_* tools are
> > now all past EOL.
        
> pkgsrc would have to directly support pkg-ng format in order to use
> the FreeBSD pkg tool.  Right now, pkgsrc only supports using one set
> of package tools (pkgsrc pkg_install) and one package format implied
> by the choice of package tool.

I thought pkg for pkgsrc might be incompatible with pkgsrc pkg_install tools, but was not fully sure.

Since pkgtools/pkg is in pkgsrc, there ought to be documentation for how it can be used, and how it can't be used.
        
> > I have a NetBSD-current amd64 installation with nothing installed
> > that might be a good place to see if synth will build, though I would
> > like to see first, if possible, how it works on its home turf, FreeBSD.
>
> > Progress is not made by people who are afraid to try new things.  I
> > could try and report back, favorable or unfavorable as the case might
> be.

> You may be interested in John Marino's pkgsrc-synth repository[1].
> This is not merged into mainline pkgsrc, but he updates it fairly
> often.

> [1] https://github.com/jrmarino/pkgsrc-synth

> Regards,

> Johnny C. Lam

I already git-cloned pkgsrc-synth repository.  From what John Marino said, I could see that using synth would burn bridges on pkgsrc pkg_* tools.

Tom