Subject: Re: Updating pkg_install on NetBSD 4
To: John Nemeth <jnemeth@victoria.tc.ca>
From: Johnny C. Lam <jlam@buildlink.org>
List: pkgsrc-users
Date: 09/24/2007 17:14:33
Joerg Sonnenberger wrote:
> 
> So let's reiterate the problem. NetBSD insists on shipping pkg_install
> with base. pkg_install gets updated in pksrc for new features. NetBSD
> users now have a problem.
> 
> (a) Overwriting /usr/sbin/pkg_* is bad -- you update your world and you
> now have a different version, completely unexpected.
> 
> (b) pkg_install could move away the old version in /usr/sbin. Same issue
> as (a).
> 
> (c) User modifies PATH or adds aliases.
> 
> (d) pkg_install gets dropped from base. Oh wonder, now we have the same
> situation as on all other pkgsrc platforms.

(e) Make pkg_install in base install into /usr/libexec/pkg_install and 
create a pkgwrapper(8) that works much like mailwrapper(8) and reads 
/etc/pkgwrapper.conf for configuration information.  Make pkg_install in 
pkgsrc install into ${PREFIX}/libexec/pkg_install and provides an 
example pkgwrapper.conf that can be copied into /etc to make pkgwrapper 
use the pkgsrc-installed versions of the pkg_* tools.

This choice avoids the problems with (a), (b) or (c).  Yes, this is more 
complex, but it does fix the problem without removing pkg_install from a 
base install of NetBSD.

	Cheers,

	-- Johnny Lam