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

["Johnny C. Lam" <jlam%NetBSD.org@localhost>]

On Tue, Jun 06, 2017 at 02:05:32AM +0000, Thomas Mueller wrote:
> > > What do the NetBSD pkgsrc developers use?
> 
> > As a developer, I use the pkg_foo toolset (i.e. the default package
> > tools). If we as devs used something else, that would probably be
> > the default.
> >
> > Having said that, I am curious about pkg and synth but I have not
> > gotten around to trying them yet. I don’t even know how
> > to get started with pkg, is there a how-to?
> >
> > > I don't want to be the only one using pkgtools/pkg because, if
> > > something doesn't work right, there would be no community to help
> > > me.
> >
> > True. I can see how that’s an argument. Or you could try
> > it out and report back if it breaks.
>
> —Benny.
> 
> 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.

> 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 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
jlam%NetBSD.org@localhost