Timing of MacPorts Support for New macOS Versions

[Bryan Jones]

Dear MacPorts:

I write to propose a policy change: a MacPorts release for a new macOS major version should be publicly available by the time Apple publishes the final Release Candidate version of macOS.

Rationale: MacPorts is an annual problem for me. I’m a Mac developer who needs to install beta versions of macOS for testing my apps. But once I do that, I can’t use MacPorts to build dependencies. Even if I install the macOS betas on a clean partition, I *need* MacPorts to re-build those dependencies (or I have to switch back to an older partition and copy the files manually into /opt/, etc.)

The lag between the release of a new major macOS version and the release of a supported MacPorts version should be eliminated. MacPorts is a key part of the development environment and each year it essentially goes AWOL just when developers need it most: when we’re updating apps to support the new macOS release! No one expects MacPorts to be ready when the first beta comes out. But there are five months between the first beta and the release of macOS, which seems like enough time to at least have an “RC” version of MacPorts ready for developers. 

Thank you.

-Bryan
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