freebsd-ports/README

This is the FreeBSD Ports Collection.  For an easy to use
WEB-based interface to it, please see:

        http://www.freebsd.org/ports

For general information on the ports collection, please see the
FreeBSD Handbook which is available from:

        file://localhost/usr/share/doc/handbook/handbook.html

(if you installed the doc distribution on your machine)

Or:

        http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/handbook.html

for the latest official version from FreeBSD-current.

The section "The Ports Collection" will tell you how to use the
ports and packages and the "Porting Applications" section
describes how one can contribute to the ports collection.

NOTE:  This tree can GROW significantly in size during normal usage!
The distribution tar files can and do accumulate in /usr/ports/distfiles,
and the individual ports will also use up lots of space in their work
subdirectories unless you remember to "make clean" after you're done
building a given port.  /usr/ports/distfiles can also be periodically
cleaned without ill-effect, though if you don't have the original
distribution tarball(s) for something on CDROM then you will need to pull
it all over your network connection again if you ever try to build the
associated port.