[MacPorts] FAQ modified
MacPorts
noreply at macports.org
Sat Jul 18 06:30:44 PDT 2009
Changed page "FAQ" by raimue at macports.org from 91.11.197.186*
Page URL: <http://trac.macports.org/wiki/FAQ>
Diff URL: <http://trac.macports.org/wiki/FAQ?action=diff&version=77>
Revision 77
Comment: Add some more anchors to avoid breaking links again if the title is changed. Yes, I realize this also breaks existing links, but avoids that for the future.
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Index: FAQ
=========================================================================
--- FAQ (version: 76)
+++ FAQ (version: 77)
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
== General Questions ==
-=== A port fails to build ===
+=== A port fails to build === #buildfails
Before filing a bug in the issue tracker, please make sure you have the latest version of MacPorts and of the ports tree by running
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
Also, make sure you have the latest version of Xcode. Old versions of Xcode are known to make certain ports fail.
-=== I get the error "C compiler cannot create executables" when I try to install a port ===
+=== I get the error "C compiler cannot create executables" when I try to install a port === #missingxcode
You need to install [http://www.macports.org/install.php#requirements Xcode].
Ensure you include both X11SDK and Unix Development.
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
Some ports need newer versions of Xcode than that which ships with the OS, and will fail to install due to that requirement. Xcode is not updated via Software Update, you have to download it manually. To do so, go to http://connect.apple.com/ and log in with your ADC information (the free online account is enough to get access to Xcode). Once you log in, go to ''Downloads'', then select ''Developer Tools'' on the right section under ''Downloads''. You can then search for Xcode (there are quite a few versions available, make sure to get the latest for you OS version).
-=== Is MacPorts Universal? ===
+=== Is MacPorts Universal? === #universal
MacPorts works on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs, but the ports you install will be compiled only for the architecture you're currently running on. This means that if you migrate from, say, a PowerPC Mac to an Intel one and use Migration Assistant to copy your data to the new machine, you should reinstall all your ports on the new machine to rebuild them for Intel. It may be simpler to completely remove all of MacPorts and start fresh. See below for uninstallation instructions, but be sure to keep any configuration files you need.
@@ -39,14 +39,14 @@
See also [wiki:Universal] for a list of ports that were tested for +universal support and the results.
-=== Why is /opt/local the default install location for MacPorts? ===
+=== Why is /opt/local the default install location for MacPorts? === #defaultprefix
`/opt/local` was chosen so as to avoid stomping on other various installations (e.g. fink uses `/sw` to do the same); `/usr/local` is not a viable choice for several reasons:
1. Some software (especially auto* tools from Gnu) look in `/usr/local` as a default location, which means MacPorts can't be easily isolated when needed
2. `/usr/local` is usually reserved for the given system's admin to install items local to that system, and tends to be a bad choice to have taken over by a non-system port system
3. gcc considers `/usr/local` to be a standard system directory, causing (at least) the include directory to be unable to appear early in the list of include directories, and hence causing MacPorts-installed items to be difficult to use properly for items which need them (where another version is installed elsewhere, like `/usr/X11R6`)
-=== How do I remove or uninstall MacPorts? ===
+=== How do I remove or uninstall MacPorts? === #uninstall
Uninstalling MacPorts can be a drastic step, and depending on the issue you're experiencing, you may not need to do so. If you're unsure, ask on the macports-users mailing list first.
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@
Note that depending on which version of MacPorts you have and which ports you've installed, not all of the above paths will exist on your system. This is ok.
-=== What are the folders in `${prefix}/var/macports/ for and why do they take up so much space? ===
+=== What are the folders in `${prefix}/var/macports/ for and why do they take up so much space? === #diskspace
`man porthier` says: "MacPorts runtime data", but it contains some more subfolders:
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@
In the subfolder `rsync.macports.org/release/base` are the MacPorts sources themselves (e.g., for the port(1) command). A `port selfupdate` updates this from the MacPorts rsync server.
In the subfolder `rsync.macports.org/release/ports` are folders for each port category and the ports themselves therein, where the corresponding Portfile and patches are found. `port sync` and also `port selfupdate` update this from the MacPorts rsync server.
-=== I get `Error: checksum (md5/sha1/rmd160) mismatch for port`. What can I do about it? ===
+=== I get `Error: checksum (md5/sha1/rmd160) mismatch for port`. What can I do about it? === #checksums
MacPorts computes checksums of downloaded files to ensure they aren't corrupted and haven't been tampered with. Each portfile lists the checksums for the files that the port will download (using md5, sha1 and/or rmd160). If the computed checksum of the downloaded file doesn't match the one listed in the portfile, that means the file you downloaded is not the one the port designer used when creating the port, and so MacPorts stops the installation.
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@
* [source:users/rhwood/Pallet Pallet] is a new GUI under development which can be installed with MacPorts by running `sudo port install pallet`.
* [http://porticus.alittledrop.com/ Porticus] is another new GUI currently in development.
-=== What do I do if `port selfupdate` doesn't work or the Rsync server refuses connections? ===
+=== What do I do if `port selfupdate` doesn't work or the Rsync server refuses connections? === #selfupdatefails
First try `sudo port -d selfupdate` to get all errors to display. If your connection to the rsync server fails you may get blocked by a firewall or other network control software.
If you run LittleSnitch create a rule for rsync (/usr/bin/rsync) that allows connections to server hostname rsync.macports.org, port 873 (rsync), protocol 6 (TCP). Make sure the rule is enabled.
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@
* [wiki:howto/SyncingWithSVN You can sync your port tree using Subversion]
* [wiki:howto/PortTreeTarball You can download a tarball, built daily, and update with that]
-=== When I run `port list installed` I see the identical versions of some ports installed, why? ===
+=== When I run `port list installed` I see the identical versions of some ports installed, why? === #portlist
Using `port list installed` will give confusing results as the 'list' command bases its version information only on what is the currently-available version; so if you have port '''foo''' installed at versions 1 and 2 (with 2 being the current version available), `list installed` will only show '''foo''' at version 2, twice.
Instead, use `port installed` which will show the version which is actually installed.
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@
Don't be scared away, MacPorts will still use the X11 server provided by the system.
-=== Python fails to build ===
+=== Python fails to build === #pythonfails
If you get an error building Python like
{{{
@@ -164,25 +164,25 @@
}}}
your Xcode installation is incomplete (you are missing e.g. the QuickTime SDK).
-=== How do I get readline support for MacPort's Python? ===
+=== How do I get readline support for MacPort's Python? === #pythonreadline
If you're using python24, install the py-readline port.
If you're using python25, make sure your python25 port is up to date, at least 2.5.4_4, when the standard modules were reintegrated back into the port itself (see ticket #12369).
-=== Will MacPorts link to system libraries rather than its own? ===
+=== Will MacPorts link to system libraries rather than its own? === #syslibs
No, MacPorts maintains its own versions of libraries. See the next question for the reason why.
You may find some ports that link with some system libraries. Some of these are intentional, such as in cases where the MacPorts version is missing some crucial functionality (e.g. ports that need Kerberos support use the Mac OS X-supplied library, not the MacPorts one). In other cases these are bugs in the relevant ports, and tickets should be filed so it can be corrected.
-=== Why is MacPorts using its own libraries? ===
+=== Why is MacPorts using its own libraries? === #ownlibs
There are several reasons why MacPorts uses its own libraries. It makes ports more consistent across different versions of Mac OS X. If we can rely on e.g. openssl 0.9.8 from MacPorts, we don't have to test every port that needs ssl for every available openssl installation. Apple's software tends to break from time to time (e.g. openssl refuses to build with an old zlib, but for awhile Apple shipped the old headers of the vulnerable zlib version). Even if Apple's versions aren't broken, they're rarely up-to-date. Apple has a habit of not updating the libraries in Mac OS X until absolutely necessitated by a security vulnerability.
The drawbacks of this policy are minimal: Wasting a few megabytes for e.g. a Python installation is next to nothing if you have a multi-gigabyte hard disk, and the time required to build the additional ports decreases as computers get faster.
-=== GNOME has an empty menu ===
+=== GNOME has an empty menu === #gnomemenu
See the [wiki:GNOME GNOME] section of this Wiki for more information.
@@ -212,25 +212,25 @@
== Portfile Development and Maintenance Questions ==
-=== Is it possible to have a dependency on a specific variant of another port? E.g. "postgresql8 +server"? ===
+=== Is it possible to have a dependency on a specific variant of another port? E.g. "postgresql8 +server"? === #126
No. This is ticket #126. The dependency engine is currently unable to handle specifying anything beyond "port X requires port Y" or "port X requires file Z which can be provided by port Y." There have been discussions on revamping the engine (see the mailing list archives) but nothing concrete as yet. This is why the most useful variants really shouldn't be variants at all but rolled into the port itself. It can also sometimes be useful to break variants out into separate ports (e.g. the postgresql83-doc and postgresql83-server ports, instead of having +doc or +server variants of the postgresql83 port).
-=== Why won't `portindex` work? I have a local repository set up ===
+=== Why won't `portindex` work? I have a local repository set up === #portindexfails
Your local repository needs the ports to be nested within a category for portindex to work, as explained in the relevant [http://guide.macports.org/#development.local-repositories documentation].
-=== Why was the `cd` command removed from trunk? ===
+=== Why was the `cd` command removed from trunk? === #cd
The `cd` command was removed from trunk in r28796. As of release 1.7.0 it will no longer be available for use in Portfiles. `cd` is harmful as it changes the current directory of the whole process and not only of the current Tcl interpreter. Also, it becomes unreliable when used inside phases and other phases begin to rely on it.
Please use absolute paths instead, starting with ${worksrcpath}. If you need to run a command with `system`, use it like `system "cd ${worksrcpath} && autoreconf"`.
-=== What is the process for becoming a committer? ===
+=== What is the process for becoming a committer? === #committer
The process is pretty much the same as for any other open source project. See the relevant [http://guide.macports.org/#project.membership documentation] and the [wiki:NewCommittersGuide New commiters guide] for what commit access to MacPorts entails.
-=== Why Tcl? ===
+=== Why Tcl? === #whytcl
These mailing list posts by Landon Fuller, one of the original authors, explain why Tcl was chosen for MacPorts:
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@
== Runtime Errors ==
-=== I try to disable a variant, but it just informs me of the proper usage for the `port` command ===
+=== I try to disable a variant, but it just informs me of the proper usage for the `port` command === #disablevariants
When using
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* The IP shown here might not mean anything if the user or the server is
behind a proxy.
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