8 ms·

With so many other package managers available, I often wish something else was the de facto package manager on macOS. Something like pkgsrc, which follows conve

With so many other package managers available, I often wish something else was the de facto package manager on macOS. Something like pkgsrc, which follows conventions much better and is thereby much easier to manage.

deleted 2y ago
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ggm 2y ago
For people who don't know, pkgsrc works fine on macOS, the complaint was well made: its not the default. I use brew, and have used pkgsrc in the past. I could go back for low pain.
arprocter 2y ago
It'd be nice if brew was a little more apt-y, and all the beer nomenclature is a bit silly My first exposure to Mac package stuff was fink in the early aughts - compiling everything on a Pismo G3 was pretty slow going
- jonhohle 2y ago
  Switch to MacPorts. It supports precompiled packages, doesn’t take over the world and force anything on you the same way Homebrew does. I’m really disappointed in how Homebrew took a lot of attention away from the existing package managers, made a bunch of terrible decisions related to packaging and flexibility and genera Unix philosophy, and then ate the world. : shakes fist at clouds, get off my lawn
CaliforniaKarl 2y ago
I've been using MacPorts for as long as I've wanted a macOS package manager, and it's been working very well for me.
- nsagent 2y ago
  Yeah, I switched from Homebrew to MacPorts a few years ago and couldn't be happier.
  - throwaway290 2y ago
    Same here.
- wwalexander 2y ago
  MacPorts is awesome. The PortGroups also make it super easy to make new packages.
- brandall10 2y ago
  Anyone know why Homebrew overtook MacPorts? I only have a vague recollection of a Rails colleague pushing me to switch circa 2013 or so and haven't given it much thought since, but it (MacPorts) seemed to be similarly ubiquitous prior.
  - llimllib 2y ago
    Here’s why I switched early on in homebrew’s life from ports - brew had and has many more packages available - brew updates versions more quickly - brew uses much more simple paths that fit my brain better - brew has a pleasing simplicity
  - 1123581321 2y ago
    MacPorts was slower (bringing in its own dependencies for everything meant longer build steps) and required sudo more. There were some annoying fiddly parts that made it seem like the homebrew users around you were having more fun exploring packages. It was also exciting how many packages and casks were in homebrew and it was easy to make your own. Also, back then there were lots of people experiencing package managers for the first time and they took to homebrew easily. Then so many projects started to publish brew install links as a way to get started; homebrew felt like a default. Now, with our faster computers, more space, and more packages installed, and macports shipping more binaries and using its own normal user, macports' duplication of dependencies looks more like an advantage than a disadvantage. And because homebrew taught so many people how to use package managers, macports is not their first so easier to start using.
    - steve_adams_86 2y ago
      > Also, back then there were lots of people experiencing package managers for the first time and they took to homebrew easily. I suppose it was almost 15 years ago now but this is what I recall. Homebrew was easier, snappier, and the general friction coefficient felt smaller. It's a little funny reading this and then wonder... Why did I leave MacPorts behind? I don't think I put much thought into it at the time and rather went by feel. I was still somewhat new to this stuff having started my career more in design than development.
paholg 2y ago
When I've had to use a Mac, I've used nix to good success. I'm actually surprised how well it worked; I was able to basically just use the same config I use on Linux, removing just the few Linux-specific packages.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 2y ago
  Do you not use many packages and only strictly use FOSS tooling? I have a large and growing list of packages that have to be managed in Homebrew still because the package is one of the following: 1. Not available at all in nixpkgs (e.g. Docker Desktop, BetterTouchTool, etc) 2. In nixpkgs, but completely broken or missing some architecture support (e.g. Firefox) 3. Actually available and somewhat functional in nixpkgs, but some significant features don't work because of code signing requirements and needing to be managed in the Applications folder (e.g. 1Password) Quite a few tools do in fact work well with nix on Mac. Especially if it's FOSS and/or a cli-only based tool. And for FOSS tooling such as Firefox, there is often a convoluted workaround (I'm currently using `github:bandithedoge/nixpkgs-firefox-darwin`). And of course you can always package it yourself by doing things The Hard Way. But the platform is still quite a ways away from being able to be used as a daily driver on Mac without Homebrew.
  - paholg 2y ago
    Huh, interesting. I did primarily use FOSS and CLI applications. It's been a couple years, so I don't remember what exactly I used it for. I probably installed Docker Desktop via whatever method docker recommends, and I'm not sure about Firefox. For alacrity, I remember it being annoying to integrate into Mac's launcher, but it otherwise worked. Pretty much everything else was programming-related and just worked.
  - Cloudef 2y ago
    If you want graphical apps to be handled by nix on macos, you might be interested in <https://github.com/BatteredBunny/brew-nix https://github.com/BatteredBunny/brew-nix>. nixpkgs does not package macos sandboxed apps AFAIK, that means typically only cli utilities, libraries and development tools only work.
bainganbharta 2y ago
This is the pkgsrc-based package manager I use on macOS. It's simple and has the packages I need. https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/ https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/
- throw0101a 2y ago
  > https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/ https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/ Note that Pkgsrc is a NetBSD-derived project. * https://pkgsrc.org https://pkgsrc.org The Joyent folks leveraged it to allow their customers, who were perhaps not as familiar with Solaris/SmartOS, a larger pool of packages. Pkgsrc was running on Solaris before Joyent, Joyent built on top of it.
8b16380d 2y ago
Just use pkgsrc or macports. IMO way easier and less intrusive than homebrew.
rahen 2y ago
I've been using pkgin and pkgsrc for years on macOS. Occasionally, I still need a small brew prefix when a dependency is missing or difficult to build. Molten-vk was the last such package. pkgsrc is by far the most KISS package manager for macOS, I like it.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

ggm 2y ago

For people who don't know, pkgsrc works fine on macOS, the complaint was well made: its not the default. I use brew, and have used pkgsrc in the past. I could go back for low pain.

arprocter 2y ago

It'd be nice if brew was a little more apt-y, and all the beer nomenclature is a bit silly My first exposure to Mac package stuff was fink in the early aughts - compiling everything on a Pismo G3 was pretty slow going

jonhohle 2y ago
Switch to MacPorts. It supports precompiled packages, doesn’t take over the world and force anything on you the same way Homebrew does. I’m really disappointed in how Homebrew took a lot of attention away from the existing package managers, made a bunch of terrible decisions related to packaging and flexibility and genera Unix philosophy, and then ate the world. : shakes fist at clouds, get off my lawn

CaliforniaKarl 2y ago

I've been using MacPorts for as long as I've wanted a macOS package manager, and it's been working very well for me.

nsagent 2y ago
Yeah, I switched from Homebrew to MacPorts a few years ago and couldn't be happier.
- throwaway290 2y ago
  Same here.
wwalexander 2y ago
MacPorts is awesome. The PortGroups also make it super easy to make new packages.
brandall10 2y ago
Anyone know why Homebrew overtook MacPorts? I only have a vague recollection of a Rails colleague pushing me to switch circa 2013 or so and haven't given it much thought since, but it (MacPorts) seemed to be similarly ubiquitous prior.
- llimllib 2y ago
  Here’s why I switched early on in homebrew’s life from ports - brew had and has many more packages available - brew updates versions more quickly - brew uses much more simple paths that fit my brain better - brew has a pleasing simplicity
- 1123581321 2y ago
  MacPorts was slower (bringing in its own dependencies for everything meant longer build steps) and required sudo more. There were some annoying fiddly parts that made it seem like the homebrew users around you were having more fun exploring packages. It was also exciting how many packages and casks were in homebrew and it was easy to make your own. Also, back then there were lots of people experiencing package managers for the first time and they took to homebrew easily. Then so many projects started to publish brew install links as a way to get started; homebrew felt like a default. Now, with our faster computers, more space, and more packages installed, and macports shipping more binaries and using its own normal user, macports' duplication of dependencies looks more like an advantage than a disadvantage. And because homebrew taught so many people how to use package managers, macports is not their first so easier to start using.
  - steve_adams_86 2y ago
    > Also, back then there were lots of people experiencing package managers for the first time and they took to homebrew easily. I suppose it was almost 15 years ago now but this is what I recall. Homebrew was easier, snappier, and the general friction coefficient felt smaller. It's a little funny reading this and then wonder... Why did I leave MacPorts behind? I don't think I put much thought into it at the time and rather went by feel. I was still somewhat new to this stuff having started my career more in design than development.

paholg 2y ago

When I've had to use a Mac, I've used nix to good success. I'm actually surprised how well it worked; I was able to basically just use the same config I use on Linux, removing just the few Linux-specific packages.

SOLAR_FIELDS 2y ago
Do you not use many packages and only strictly use FOSS tooling? I have a large and growing list of packages that have to be managed in Homebrew still because the package is one of the following: 1. Not available at all in nixpkgs (e.g. Docker Desktop, BetterTouchTool, etc) 2. In nixpkgs, but completely broken or missing some architecture support (e.g. Firefox) 3. Actually available and somewhat functional in nixpkgs, but some significant features don't work because of code signing requirements and needing to be managed in the Applications folder (e.g. 1Password) Quite a few tools do in fact work well with nix on Mac. Especially if it's FOSS and/or a cli-only based tool. And for FOSS tooling such as Firefox, there is often a convoluted workaround (I'm currently using `github:bandithedoge/nixpkgs-firefox-darwin`). And of course you can always package it yourself by doing things The Hard Way. But the platform is still quite a ways away from being able to be used as a daily driver on Mac without Homebrew.
- paholg 2y ago
  Huh, interesting. I did primarily use FOSS and CLI applications. It's been a couple years, so I don't remember what exactly I used it for. I probably installed Docker Desktop via whatever method docker recommends, and I'm not sure about Firefox. For alacrity, I remember it being annoying to integrate into Mac's launcher, but it otherwise worked. Pretty much everything else was programming-related and just worked.
- Cloudef 2y ago
  If you want graphical apps to be handled by nix on macos, you might be interested in <https://github.com/BatteredBunny/brew-nix https://github.com/BatteredBunny/brew-nix>. nixpkgs does not package macos sandboxed apps AFAIK, that means typically only cli utilities, libraries and development tools only work.

bainganbharta 2y ago

This is the pkgsrc-based package manager I use on macOS. It's simple and has the packages I need. https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/ https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/

throw0101a 2y ago
> https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/ https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/ Note that Pkgsrc is a NetBSD-derived project. * https://pkgsrc.org https://pkgsrc.org The Joyent folks leveraged it to allow their customers, who were perhaps not as familiar with Solaris/SmartOS, a larger pool of packages. Pkgsrc was running on Solaris before Joyent, Joyent built on top of it.

8b16380d 2y ago

Just use pkgsrc or macports. IMO way easier and less intrusive than homebrew.

rahen 2y ago

I've been using pkgin and pkgsrc for years on macOS. Occasionally, I still need a small brew prefix when a dependency is missing or difficult to build. Molten-vk was the last such package. pkgsrc is by far the most KISS package manager for macOS, I like it.