*-devel ports

[Thomas de Grivel]

2008/2/7, js <ebgssth at gmail.com>:
> If the developer call it as stable and the other's development,
> Let' follow it.
> Anyone who like to use newer can easily choose -devel one.

I think we all agree on this (we dont have time to test stability, ffs).

2008/2/7, Ryan Schmidt <ryandesign at macports.org>:
>It was proposed that -devel ports should be updated to the latest
>stable version, if the latest stable version is newer than the latest
>development version. If we act on this proposal, then "-latest" is
>more intuitive than "-devel".

Ok I see the point. In other terms it is a pointer to a stable or
-devel  version of the same port, like a virtual package depending on
the right one ?

I also cannot avoid comparing with Gentoo : they use multiple 'ebuild'
files (the converse of a portfile) to reflect the different versions
of a package. That done they can mark each version as stable/unstable
and allow to install different versions when they have different
'slots' (like for gtk-1 and gtk-2 : they consider it is the same
"port" but with a different slot so both can be installed). I dont
suggest to rip it off them but that is another existing solution to
this problem. Well multiple versions is another larger issue I don't
mean to bring here.

--
  Thomas de Grivel