On Mar 5, 2018, at 04:34, db wrote: > > I know, but I don't see how HEAD is pragmatically that much different from > the devel ports that use a hash+date instead.
"HEAD" is not a specific version. It will vary as developers make new commits. A user installing a port that fetches from "HEAD" will receive different software depending on when they install it, without the version of the port reflecting that. We don't want that; we want reproducible builds. hash+date is specific, predictable, repeatable. The portfile developer tests a specific hash+date, and when satisfied, commits it to make it available to MacPorts users. And when they do, users are notified that an update is available via "port outdated". That all doesn't happen if you set a port to download from "HEAD".
