4.7 Dealing with Broken Ports

If you come across a port that does not work for you, there are a few things you can do, including:

1. Fix it! The Porter's Handbook includes detailed information on the “Ports” infrastructure so that you can fix the occasional broken port or even submit your own!

2. Gripe--by email only! Send email to the maintainer of the port first. Type make maintainer or read the Makefile to find the maintainer's email address. Remember to include the name and version of the port (send the $FreeBSD: line from the Makefile) and the output leading up to the error when you email the maintainer. If you do not get a response from the maintainer, you can use send-pr(1) to submit a bug report.

3. Grab the package from an FTP site near you. The “master” package collection is on ftp.FreeBSD.org in the packages directory, but be sure to check your local mirror first! These are more likely to work than trying to compile from source and are a lot faster as well. Use the pkg_add(1) program to install the package on your system.