A few random usability suggestions...

Roger Pack rogerdpack2 at gmail.com
Fri Nov 18 22:23:18 PST 2011


Hello.

I used macports today, and had a few usability "suggestions/feature requests":
for what they're worth :)

Here goes...

If I do this:
$ sudo port install vlc -f

I'd expect it to be a "force install" the equivalent of
$ sudo port -f install vlc

instead, it surprised me by not doing a force install.  FWIW.

The "help" syntax might be expandable a bit..

$ port help install
Usage: install

Installs the given ports

(doesn't list any options available to the install command?)

Also it seems to be missing a "reinstall" command...perhaps one could
be added, perhaps like the equivalent of
 sudo port uninstall suchAndSuch
 sudo port clean –all suchAndSuch
 sudo port install suchAndSuch
or the like [?]

Also I would have expected this to work:
$ sudo port install twolame # it installs binary twolame
$ sudo port install -s twolame # it "reinstalls, but from source"
(currently it "does nothing")

At least output something like "twolame is already installed" but,
better yet, I had hoped that it would basically reinstall it, from
source, realizing that its initial installation had been from a binary
package.

Well sorry for the flood.
-roger-


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