So, for newcomers from other systems the practical approach would be to follow snapshots to be able to upgrade all (packages on top of base).
Install first (once) 1) download a snapshot set (or only bsd.rd for network install) 2) install latest snapshot base OS 3) install your packages with pkg_add (set PKG_PATH to mirror) Upgrade later (repeat) 4) download a fresher snapshot set (or only bsd.rd for network install) 5) upgrade to latest snapshot (boot recent bsd.rd from fresh snapshot) 6) run sysmerge for base and ports 7) upgrading packages with pkg_add -ui Extremely simple and efficient process, by far the best streamlined and easy maintenance compared to other operating systems (or kernels). Please test this procedure and see if this makes you happier after a while, for me it saves a lot of effort. Might be better to put the practical approach in the FAQ, rather than some convoluted explanation about third party stuff instead of a checklist.
