> On 22 May 2021, at 13:21, Artem Loenko via macports-dev > <macports-dev@lists.macports.org> wrote: > > Hello there, > > I agree with all the points about publicity (blog posts, Twitter, etc.). But > I want to share the opinion on MacPorts from a (power?) user who is aware of > the tool and “deep in my heart” believe that MacPorts is a better option > than, for example, Homebrew.
that is quite an interesting topic imho even if i fear it is quite hard to eviscerate since is prone to opinionated statements (just as example about the points you have listed, i agree with them and the rationales behind nevertheless i keep using macports and have no plan to switch to any other system :-) > GUI APPLICATIONS > > This is a controversial topic. As you know, you can install and manage GUI > macOS applications with so-called Homebrew `casks`[4]. From the user > perspective, there are no differences between CLI and GUI applications, and I > just want to manage applications I use with ONE package manager. In the case > of MacPorts, I cannot install even open-source applications (like Firefox, > NetNewsWire, etc.). > Yes, I understand that someone has to maintain such ports. But if we are > talking about publicity, new users and experience, it is vital to have at > least the most popular software on the list. i definitively agree on that (e.g. i was elated when i found out iterm2 port availability). i took note to try myself to try to port some of the applications i commonly use as soon as i have some spare time to test. > BUNDLES > > Homebrew supports bundles[3] where you can list all the software you use and > install it with a simple `brew bundle` command. It is a convenient way to > track a list of software you use, migrate between machines or set up remote > hardware on CI/CD. With MacPorts, I found only one way to do so – Makefile or > a shell script where I list all the packages I need. Not a big deal, you can > say, and it is true. But one of the reasons to use Homebrew over MacPorts. actually this is possible and an easy task too as jmr just explained to me on irc :-) you can have a look at the gimp package which is actual a bundle (or meta package or virtual package). i have already written two dozen of “meta packages” which are helping me a lot to manage my different machines. > Regards, > Artem cheers — ferdy
