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OpenBSD Packages and Ports Installation and upgrading of packages and ports on OpenBSD. |
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-Stable Ports with -Release+Errata Base
Section 15.4.1 of the OpenBSD FAQ states that it is possible to use -release ports/packages on a -stable system. Is the opposite also officially supported by the project? I am currently running OpenBSD 4.6 with errata patches on an old IBM ThinkPad A20m laptop, and I want to keep my compile time to a minimum by not needing to track the -stable base while still having security updates for certain software.
Speaking of -stable ports, are there also -stable packages available for the i386 architecture? I saw a comment on the OpenBSD Journal stating there is, but I have been unable to confirm it. |
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Once the -release branch is tagged, no changes are further made to this branch. To anticipate what changes might be forthcoming to -stable packages/ports is impossible to make, so to make a blanket pronouncement stating that -stable packages/ports can run as expected on -release is likely never to be made.
Note that -release + all released patches is very closely equivalent to -stable. Traditionally, there are no library changes made from -release to -stable. Most likely, -stable packages/ports will work on a fully patched -release system, but this is conjecture on my part, & I highly doubt that anything will ever be said officially to remove the existing ambiguity. The project wants to focus on new development in -current. This is why -stable tends to be short shrifted. Quote:
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Quote:
If you follow -stable (or the errata patchs, which is not quite but nearly the same thing), you will have a system that has no library changes, no functionality changes, but with patches for stability or security to the OS added. If there is an update to a particular 3rd party package you need, and a -stable package is not available, you can either ask the associated port maintainer to work up a -stable package for you, or, develop it yourself. In general, any update to software that adds functionality will also add risk of additional stability or security trouble. So-called "bug fix" releases that do not add any new functions are, generally, safer than those that don't. But each case is a judgement call, and an understanding of the risks is required. |
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openbsd, packages -stable, ports |
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