Installing Software from Ports

As mentioned previously, the alternative to installing software from prebuilt packages is to install the software from the source code. This system of installing software is known as the ports system. The ports contain information that tells FreeBSD how to build and install the software from the original source code. Procedurally, installing software using this method is almost as simple as installing from packages. However, as mentioned before, it will probably take more time because of the requirement that FreeBSD build the software before it can be installed and the requirement that all necessary header files be installed so that the C / C++ compiler can build the software.

The problem of missing libraries that ...

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