Re: lilypond 2.15.33 available as a FreeBSD port

[lilypond]

On Sat, Mar 10, 2012 at 11:00:43PM +0100, David Kastrup wrote:
> 
> So what is the difference as compared to the version on the LilyPond
> download page?  What makes the download for FreeBSD that we offer less
> desirable?

I am only one person, and I cannot make global, objective
statements about what is or is not desireable.  It's not a case
where one alternative is universally better than another.  It's a
personal preference, combined with details of the system in
question.  Some folks may have slower systems, and would prefer
to install the official binaries so that they don't have to
compile the source themselves.  Or disk space could be a factor.
The FreeBSD ports tree does take up space, and some FreeBSD users
elect not to dedicate disk space to that purpose.  Having
binaries available has value for them.

The same user who installs a binary on one machine may elect to
build lilypond from source code on another machine, instead of
installing a pre-compiled binary.  The FreeBSD ports system
accomodates that scenario.  Also, NetBSD's pgksrc system is
similar to FreeBSD's.  This means a NetBSD user who has no access
to an official binary may find inspiration and/or clues from
examining a FreeBSD port that would permit him/her to run
LilyPond on NetBSD, even in the absence of an official binary for
NetBSD.

The official binaries definitely have value, and I certainly
wouldn't categorize their production as a waste of time or
effort.