I have used the audio-video tool FFmpeg[1] for quite a while, installed
via port `ffmpeg`[2]. I was quietly puzzled in recent years as the
FFmpeg folks talked about versions 7 and 8 being released, while
MacPorts kept giving me FFmpeg version 4.x. I checked `port info ffmpeg`
to be sure I wasn't missing anything, but it referred only to a singular
"FFmpeg".
Then I thought to try `port info ffmpeg\*`, and the scales fell from my
eyes. It looks like we now have per-major-version ports, `ffmpeg4` ...
`ffmpeg8`[3].
What is the concept for port `ffmpeg` now? Does it remain pinned to the
current maintenance release of FFmpeg v4.x forever? Will new major
versions of FFmpeg get added as ports `ffmpeg9` and onwards? What should
ports which depend on ffmpeg declare as their dependency?
And could we please have a sentence added to the long_description of
each of the `ffmpeg\*` ports explaining this relationship? If more space
is needed, perhaps it is worth creating an FFmpeg wiki page[4] to tell
the story?
Once I understand the concept, and if it is helpful, I would be glad to
make a Pull Request with a concise addition to long_description for
ports ffmpeg\* to give the information I wish I had known back then.
Best regards,
—Jim DeLaHunt
[1] <https://ffmpeg.org/>
[2] <https://ports.macports.org/port/ffmpeg/details/>
[3] <https://ports.macports.org/port/ffmpeg8/details/>
[4] tentatively, <https://trac.macports.org/wiki/FFmpeg>
--
. --Jim DeLaHunt, Vancouver, Canada
