# FreeBSD 12.1 amd64. Packages disappeared from repository



## vlig (Jul 4, 2020)

Hello! I'm on the latest pkg repository.
pkg search firefox, telegram-desktop, vlc, chromium produces no result (just 2 choices for chromium, but not the browser). I guess there is much more absence of packages.
Where are they???

UPD. I have firefox, but after system updating, it refused to run. I've made all of this weird symbolic links to the libs just to make it able to start 
Packages fetching is REALLY SLOW (tried to switch servers by hand - no luck).
More and more maintainers are running out.
Is it the start of the end of the FreeBSD desktop?


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## asph (Jul 5, 2020)

You don't need to change the server manually, it will select closest mirrors automatically.
Try forcing the update of the db using `pkg update -f` and then search for the packages.
If you are on latest this can happen from time to time when a package fails to build, just wait a few days and try again.


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## T-Daemon (Jul 5, 2020)

vlig said:


> pkg search firefox, telegram-desktop, vlc, chromium produces no result ... I guess there is much more absence of packages.
> Where are they???



All of them are depending on multimedia/ffmpeg. In the previous repository build ffmpeg couldn't be build due to fetch problems, as a consequence all those ports where skipped from building.

In the current latest repo build ffmpeg has terminated building successful. So did firefox and vlc. chromium currently is building, telegram-desktop is queued. The packages should be available in a few days, when the package repositories are updated.


vlig said:


> Packages fetching is REALLY SLOW (tried to switch servers by hand - no luck).
> More and more maintainers are running out.
> Is it the start of the end of the FreeBSD desktop?



It's far-fetched to assume maintainers are running out or prediction of doom on the FreeBSD desktop because some packages are unavailable at the moment. On the other hand, you are using a open source, based mostly on voluntary work of individuals, powerful, free of charge OS. Hardly a situation to complain about anything related to it.

As for the slow package fetching, the package mirrors are hosted by commercial companies and a university (Taiwan mirror), AFAIK free of charge. Don't expect here high speeds. The download speed of packages has dropped considerably after the covid virus incident, I assume due to a higher internet usage world wide. If the (free of charge) hosted mirrors are slow now you have to live with it. When the covid situation has normalized, the internet usage drops, the mirror speed might improve.

Apropos open source, you can contribute to it in some form. Be as a monetary donor, finding and patching bugs, given advice in the forums, or maintain a port, not necessarily as maintainer. It doesn't need much to maintain a port yourself. Submitting a patch to update a port, for example, is very easy, even for a novice.


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## vlig (Jul 5, 2020)

I don't try to curse all of the open-source people just because of my small problems. If it looks so, I apologize. And my level isn't yet enough to maintain a port or to make a patch, unfortunately. But, in my defence, sometimes I donate to the projects I like 

So, do you think it's better to use quarterly and not bother, or just to be little more patient with the latest? By the way, in the quarterly, there is only firefox-esr package, not the latest one (?).
And if I'm on the latest, and if I need immediately the package which is absent, what should I do? Downgrade? Use ports? It's weird, isn't it?



T-Daemon said:


> All of them are depending on multimedia/ffmpeg. In the previous repository build ffmpeg couldn't be build due to fetch problems, as a consequence all those ports where skipped from building.


How could I research it by myself? Please, give me a piece of advice, just to worry the community less.


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## SirDice (Jul 6, 2020)

vlig said:


> How could I research it by myself?


You can check the build status here:  https://pkg-status.freebsd.org/


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## Emrion (Jul 6, 2020)

It's rather boring:

```
% sudo pkg upgrade -n
Updating FreeBSD repository catalogue...
FreeBSD repository is up to date.
All repositories are up to date.
Checking for upgrades (33 candidates): 100%
Processing candidates (33 candidates): 100%
The following 15 package(s) will be affected (of 0 checked):

Installed packages to be REMOVED:
        vlc: 3.0.11,4
```

It could be worse as it leaves chromium...


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## gnath (Jul 6, 2020)

```
vlc: 3.0.11,4 -> 3.0.11_1,4
x265: 3.2.1_2 -> 3.2.1_3

Number of packages to be upgraded: 13
```
Output from 'latest' upgrade command to day on my 11.4-RELEASE system.
Don't know why.


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## vlig (Jul 6, 2020)

So, the PKG system seems to be totally raw and insecure. Scary to imagine if the same is happened with a production server's packages, not user's laptop... In fact, it is driving people to use ports, which is depreciates the subject.
Very sad.


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## Mjölnir (Jul 6, 2020)

vlig said:


> [...] But, in my defence, sometimes I donate to the projects I like


Great!  Many small donations can sum up to make a big difference.


> So, do you think it's better to use quarterly and not bother, or just to be little more patient with the latest? By the way, in the quarterly, there is only firefox-esr package, not the latest one (?).
> And if I'm on the latest, and if I need immediately the package which is absent, what should I do? Downgrade? Use ports? It's weird, isn't it?


The packages use the _quarterly_ ports tree.  AFAIK portsnap(8) uses _latest_.  You can manually fetch & update the _quarterly_ ports tree with SVN (svnlite(1)).  Consult the handbook.  If I got it right, this prevents messages from `periodic weekly` like

```
Checking for out of date packages:
akonadi-19.12.3_1 needs updating (index has 20.04.2)
```


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## vlig (Jul 6, 2020)

I see the Firefox package was built at Jul 4... Who has stolen it?? 



mjollnir said:


> You can manually fetch & update the _quarterly_ ports tree with SVN


Thanks, but I have no complaints to the ports system except of looooong time to build. That's why the pkg option is more preferable for a desktop/laptop.


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## Mjölnir (Jul 6, 2020)

vlig said:


> I see the Firefox package was built at Jul 4... Who has stolen it??


The ghost of _Sitting Bull_?  Oops, no politics here...


> Thanks, but I have no complaints to the ports system except of looooong time to build. That's why the pkg option is more preferable for a desktop/laptop.


This hold true for the offical build cluster, too.  At the 1st days of Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct, just wait a few days until you upgrade your packages.  Plus, be patient for the mentioned Corona-effect.


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## T-Daemon (Jul 6, 2020)

vlig said:


> I don't try to curse all of the open-source people just because of my small problems. If it looks so, I apologize.


No problem, no need to apologize. It was meant as a small info or reminder that the use of FreeBSD is based on free,voluntary hard work of others and in case of the package mirror hosting, the generosity of commercial firms (and a university).



vlig said:


> And my level isn't yet enough to maintain a port or to make a patch, unfortunately.


Don't say that. Here is someone at a very beginner level (even in using computers) making an effort in port maintenance.



vlig said:


> So, do you think it's better to use quarterly and not bother, or just to be little more patient with the latest? By the way, in the quarterly, there is only firefox-esr package, not the latest one (?).


The quarterly branch is in general more "stable" as the latest, but there is no guarantee it will not or less affected, as you can see in the absents of the firefox package. I have also www/firefox installed (version 78.0_2,1), latest repository, but I don't experience the library problems you have.



vlig said:


> And if I'm on the latest, and if I need immediately the package which is absent, what should I do?


In case of www/firefox, multimedia/vlc, and net-im/telegram-desktop be patient, the package will be available in a few day. If you need a deleted program urgent you can install from /var/cache/pkg with `pkg add`.



vlig said:


> Use ports?


Official latest (and quarterly) repository packages are build after the head (quarterly) ports tree. More or less the same ports tree you might have on your system. If a port doesn't build on the freebsd.org package build servers, chances are high it won't build on your system either.

But the opposite could be the case (even though only in exceptional cases). Ports trees, especially head changes, literally, by the minute, even seconds. The build servers use a snapshot of the tree from a specific time. If a port doesn't build on the servers, but in the mean time a port is updated, it could build on your system.

There are other methods to obtain a working environment, e.g. if you are using ZFS you can rollback, or with sysutils/beadm boot a copy of an environment with working copies of the programs, or have a parallel installed second installation, etc.

If the filesystem is ZFS sysutils/beadm is best suited and easy to use to obtain a working environment. Have a look here, and don't be intimidated by the amount of information. If you don't understand something, just ask. It's not complicated to configure, even easier to use, like e.g.: From a woking system create an image with the current packages before a pkg upgrade: `beadm create pkgsgood`, upgrade packages, see if all is good, when not: `beadm activate pkgsgood`, reboot into it: `shutdown -r now`.



vlig said:


> just to worry the community less.


I don't know about others , but I'm not worried. . Ask as much as you like. As you can see there is no lack of users willing to respond to your postings.



vlig said:


> scary to imagine if the same is happened with a production server's packages, not user's laptop...


See my suggestion regarding sysutils/beadm. Also production servers have a testing server before upgrading to production.



vlig said:


> I see the Firefox package was built at Jul 4... Who has stolen it??


The batch of build packages haven't been uploaded to the repository yet:
http://pkg.freebsd.org/FreeBSD:12:amd64/latest

If somebody is waiting for www/chromium from the latest pkg repository, it failed to build, there will be no package in the following pkg upgrade.



			https://pkg-status.freebsd.org/builds/default:default:121amd64:541162:beefy6
		


In case someone want's to take a look at the log, be warned, it has ~150 Mb.


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## vlig (Jul 6, 2020)

T-Daemon said:


> Ask as much as you like


a BUNCH of information! I find it really useful for my brain to visit some good forums sometimes, thank you!


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## gnath (Jul 7, 2020)

Emrion said:


> Checking for upgrades (33 candidates):
> 100% Processing candidates (33 candidates):
> 100% The following 15 package(s) will be affected (of 0 checked):
> Installed packages to be REMOVED: vlc: 3.0.11,4


You have mixed ports and package, that is why package vlc wants to be removed due to mismatch of dependency. Latest upgrade went smooth for me.


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## Emrion (Jul 7, 2020)

gnath said:


> You have mixed ports and package, that is why package vlc wants to be removed due to mismatch of dependency. Latest upgrade went smooth for me.


Never used ports on this system.

Today, pkg doesn't want to remove vlc anymore and a new version reappeared in the latest repository. Chromium is still absent.


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