Kevin P. Neal wrote:
> Hasn't this been discussed before?

Of course. 8-)

> 
> I think the issues were:
> 1) Precompiled ports will be *huge* due to the number of NetBSD platforms, so
>    builds will probably have to be done on the user's machine. 

If you do it the FreeBSD way, you have the ability to build on the
user's machine (by using the Makefiles in the ports tree and fetching
the author's src tar balls via ftp or from CD) or precompiled binaries
(in the package tree which becomes large but nice folk like Walnut
Creek CDROM supply CDs for that).

> 2) Nobody could agree on where "stuff" should get installed. Do binaries
>    go in /usr/local/bin or /usr/local/PKGNAME/bin, with a link in
> /usr/local/bin? What about the oddball case where somebody wants to do
>    something different*? Who dislikes /opt/BLAHblah/*?

This seems to be the issue that NetBSD always stumbles on.
I happily use FreeBSD's system which populates /usr/local. Beyond
that I don't care. Let's do a monkey-see-monkey-do on this one.

> 3) Many packages have lots of configuration options. How do you select which
>    options should be used? Ease of changing these options? Is a GUI/CUI
>    needed for this?

FreeBSD makes a pretty good stab at that. When building a port that
d*mned thing asks questions! With pre-built packages you get a "typical" 
version with all those questions answered.

> 4) Satisfying all of these issues becomes a pain in the arse for the person 
>    who creates the package -> fewer packages are created.

And provided that it is someone else's pain, that's OK by me. 8-)
Given an opportunity, I think there are people who would be
prepared to suffer some pain for the "good of the cause".

> >Hell, it annoys me to have to compile the few programs that I need
> >(ssh, emacs, a few X programs) when setting up on a new architecture
> >(or upgrading the software), and i'm _used_ to having to do it.
> 
> Yup. 
> 
> CC line trimmed.

Again.

> 
> *You want oddball? Ask me why AltaVista Intranet sucks.

OK, I'll bite -- please tell me in private mail 8-)

> XCOMM  mailto:kpneal@pobox.com              -   http://www.pobox.com/~kpn/

Regards,

-- 
John Birrell - jb@cimlogic.com.au; jb@netbsd.org
CIMlogic Pty Ltd, 119 Cecil Street, South Melbourne Vic 3205, Australia
Tel +61 3 9690 6900 Fax +61 3 9690 6650 Mob +61 418 353 137