# Need purge failed  Xfce4 installation from ports



## Saverik (Aug 18, 2021)

Good morning,

I try to install Xfce4 from ports.
After  some hour my laptop is shutdown  because i forget to recharge the battery.
Now I can't install from ports because the install stop after 20 min..
How I can clean the old installation and  restart a new fresh xfce4 installation from ports?
Thanks all.


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## SirDice (Aug 18, 2021)

Saverik said:


> Now I can't install from ports because the install stop after 20 min..
> How I can clean the old installation and restart a new fresh xfce4 installation from ports?


Just start it again, `cd /usr/ports/x11-wm/xfce4` and `make install`. It'll pick up where it left off. There's no need for any "purging".


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## Saverik (Aug 18, 2021)

I did it.
The system send me :


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## SirDice (Aug 18, 2021)

Please don't post pictures of text. Just copy/paste the information please.

And those are just generic errors, the real error has scrolled off the screen.

In any case, any reason why you're building from ports and not using packages? Just `pkg install xfce4` and be done.


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## astyle (Aug 18, 2021)

The way I deal with that kind of problem is using script(1). You type `# script` just *before* `# make && make install` in the port's directory. This dumps all the visible text into a file that you can later look at using `# cat typescript | less`. Scroll up and down, and locate your error that way. I would caution against over-doing it - a successful compilation will dump a LOT of text into that file. I only use that method to hunt down errors.


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## astyle (Aug 18, 2021)

Oh, and before I forget: in the port's directory, I sometimes remove the work/ subdirectory of a failed installation. `# rm -rf ./work` followed by `# make && make install` starts the compilation anew. I have to do it if I realize I need to make changes to the makefile options. If no changes are needed to those makefile options, then it's fine to skip removing the work/ subdirectory of a failed installation.


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## SirDice (Aug 18, 2021)

astyle said:


> I have to do it if I realize I need to make changes to the makefile options. If no changes are needed to those makefile options, then it's fine to skip removing the work/ subdirectory of a failed installation.


A port's configuration options are stored in /var/db/ports/, not the work/ directory. Just run `make config` if you want/need to change them.


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## astyle (Aug 18, 2021)

SirDice said:


> A port's configuration options are stored in /var/db/ports/, not the work/ directory. Just run `make config` if you want/need to change them.


The point of removing the work/ directory is to start the compilation anew. Without that, `make` is gonna ignore the changes you made in `# make config`, and just pick up where you left. Not the best option, IMHO.


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## Tieks (Aug 18, 2021)

astyle said:


> # rm -rf ./work


That's what `make clean` does. It will save you 3 keystrokes!


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## astyle (Aug 18, 2021)

Tieks said:


> That's what `make clean` does. It will save you 3 keystrokes!


Not quite, `# make clean` will also remove the related distfile, and I don't want that.


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## Saverik (Aug 18, 2021)

Good evening gentlemen,
sorry for my noobies.

for SirDice


SirDice said:


> Please don't post pictures of text. Just copy/paste the information please.
> 
> And those are just generic errors, the real error has scrolled off the screen.
> 
> In any case, any reason why you're building from ports and not using packages? Just `pkg install xfce4` and be done.


I m using  ports instead of pkg because i come from gentoo and I used every time emerge ( from source),
and I read that  is  not a good job to use ports and binary togheter.
Please explaine me which is the best way to approach the FreeBSD.

for astyle


astyle said:


> The way I deal with that kind of problem is using script(1). You type `# script` just *before* `# make && make install` in the port's directory. This dumps all the visible text into a file that you can later look at using `# cat typescript | less`. Scroll up and down, and locate your error that way. I would caution against over-doing it - a successful compilation will dump a LOT of text into that file. I only use that method to hunt down errors.


I attached the file.
I removed the work directory but the problem is still alive.
I will try to have a look for make config in /var/db/ports


Please help me to read the file because I can't read it.


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## tingo (Aug 19, 2021)

I think you have it wrong; you should check again.


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## Saverik (Aug 19, 2021)

ops..
I renamed file in make.text  because it won't be attached.

With *make install clean |  less *i seen the problem was *cups*.
I installed cups via ports separately and now I receved
 this warning:  *./grammar .y :799.1-12: warning: deprecated directive: "%pure-parser",  use "%define api.pure" [


Ps: I read around in the forum and I seriously thinking to move at package
I suppose that for laptop the best solution are  binary package.
Is a good solution?Please help to take the right decision.
Greetings*


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## Saverik (Aug 22, 2021)

Good evening gentleman,

I decide to reinstall  and switch to  binary package.
Thanky you for support


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## Vull (Aug 22, 2021)

Saverik said:


> Good evening gentleman,
> 
> I decide to reinstall  and switch to  binary package.
> Thanky you for support


Same here. I stick with quarterly packages. Seems to be the most stable and low-maintenance configuration available, and I can finish a fresh install in a few hours, and with minimal wear and tear on the hardware. Edited to add: I also stick to the RELEASE versions, which seem to be the most "stable," and which give me a bare-bones installation in less than 30 minutes using USB memstick images. I then save the USB installer to serve as rescue media.


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## astyle (Aug 22, 2021)

Vull said:


> Same here. I stick with quarterly packages. Seems to be the most stable and low-maintenance configuration available, and I can finish a fresh install in a few hours, and with minimal wear and tear on the hardware. Edited to add: I also stick to the RELEASE versions, which seem to be the most "stable," and which give me a bare-bones installation in less than 30 minutes using USB memstick images. I then save the USB installer to serve as rescue media.


A bare-bones install takes about 10-15 minutes, which includes telling the computer to boot from the stick. If you just stick to defaults instead of messing around, and have info like root password, first username/password, and hostname handy  - my time can be closer to 7 minutes.


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## Vull (Aug 22, 2021)

astyle said:


> A bare-bones install takes about 10-15 minutes, which includes telling the computer to boot from the stick. If you just stick to defaults instead of messing around, and have info like root password, first username/password, and hostname handy  - my time can be closer to 7 minutes.


Impressive. I almost always mess around with manual partitioning, but still get much better times than any Linux installs I've tried. Not using a stopwatch, I don't have exact timings on any of this stuff.

Downloading and installing server software plus a DE afterwards takes about another hour or more, depending on the DE, but then again, I don't always install a desktop.


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## astyle (Aug 23, 2021)

Vull said:


> I almost always mess around with manual partitioning, but still get much better times than any Linux installs I've tried.


Manual partitioning was a must in my Linux days, and even thorough planning was not enough. With ZFS, I discovered that I can fine-tune dataset limits *later*. And then I discovered that I can split off and manage any folder I want, how I want, whenever I want, and fine-tune it afterwards, too! . Thanks to ZFS, I can skip any kind of messing around - and I did discover truckloads of cool stuff that can be done later with the installer-suggested defaults - which were very well thought through, too. Another Linux frustration I left behind.


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## Vull (Aug 23, 2021)

astyle said:


> Manual partitioning was a must in my Linux days, and even thorough planning was not enough. With ZFS, I discovered that I can fine-tune dataset limits *later*. And then I discovered that I can split off and manage any folder I want, how I want, whenever I want, and fine-tune it afterwards, too! . Thanks to ZFS, I can skip any kind of messing around - and I did discover truckloads of cool stuff that can be done later with the installer-suggested defaults - which were very well thought through, too. Another Linux frustration I left behind.


Kudos.


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