FreeBSD 6 Unleashed

The output of the CVSup synchronization process is a useful, but hardly ideal way to keep track of which ports have changed. There's a very handy website (see Figure 16.3) that should be in the bookmarks or favorites of any FreeBSD administrator: Fresh Ports.

Maintained separately from the FreeBSD project proper, Fresh Ports is a database linked to the main CVS repository for the ports collection. It constantly monitors all check-ins and lists them in reverse chronological order. You can register with the website and set up a watch list for your favorite ports. You'll be emailed whenever anything on your watch list changes, and you can view exactly what the changes are to each port so that you can determine whether the change is worth upgrading for. For instance, if a port is bumped up a version or a crucial security fix has been checked in, you may well want to upgrade; however, if the only recent change is to fix a typo in an installer error message, don't bother.