Changing the install location per OS version (was: During Migration to Arm64 mac, should I null out archs='x86_64' from installed ports list?)

[Michael]

On 2022-04-14, at 3:44 AM, Peter Serocka <peserocka at gmail.com> wrote:

> A "meta-select" can easily provide /opt/local as symlink to the desired default tree. Another tiny tool can set up $PATH for users at runtime, providing the bin folders from multiple trees (PATH= ... $(/opt/local/bin/mp_paths) ...)

So this discussion of changing things on new installs got me to wonder about this.

If the new system has compatibility modes to run older programs in their expected environment, and recompile new stuff as needed, what's wrong with this approach?

Keep all the existing, working binaries off in /opt/macports/x64-15, put new stuff in /opt/macports/arm-2 (or whatever), and have /opt/local just change destination targets as needed?

We have various "select" commands for python, etc; how is this idea any different?

(I am asking out of ignorance. This is not "I think we should do this". This is "why don't we?")