On Friday, 19 December 2008 at 16:02, Brendan Cully wrote: > On Friday, 19 December 2008 at 18:56, Joseph wrote: > > Getting started with a Mac and being spoiled with Debian, > > > > I tried Macports to get mutt. > > > > But I got an old version. > > > > How do I get a current copy, and how do I stay current on it? > > > > ( I still use Debian as well and like it very much. ) > > I maintain the fink package. fink has apt, like debian. And like > debian, "unstable" really isn't. I'd recommend fink, with the todai > apt repository.
By the way, one big advantage fink has over macports is a binary repository. To your /sw/etc/apt/sources.list file, add deb http://fink.sodan.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/apt/10.5 unstable main crypto and you can use apt-get to install prebuilt packages, just like in debian or ubuntu. To the best of my knowledge, macports requires you to compile your own versions of each package you use. This can often take longer than you think, because building a package can produce a huge chain of recursive dependencies. (Building from source is at least as slow in fink, but only if you don't use the todai repository above). I've used both fink and macports (more fink though), and I don't think the differences are all that striking otherwise. Macports has a nice variant syntax, whereas fink just compiles the kitchen sink into each package. On the other hand, I do like the debian package machinery that underlies fink, and I _love_ having a binary distribution available.
