Mac – Should MacPorts be installed as root

macports

I'm on OS X 1011.1 and am looking at MacPorts. Should it be installed as root:wheel, or should it be installed as me?

Everything in it's directors is root:wheel, and it looks to me like nothing will work unless it is? But its docs make no mention of this.

If not root, how do I fix it?

Best Answer

By default, MacPorts installs in /opt/local, which usually needs to be created and therefore MacPorts by default needs root to install and upgrade. However, it doesn't have to be this way. MacPorts can be configured to use any directory you want as its root directory, and according to this page if you set your home directory to be its root directory you can use MacPorts without needing to be root.

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sudo launchctl unload -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.macports.mysql5.plist

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No - as removing macports will remove the software it installs. Macports )and Fink) are designed so that they use directories that only they update and control so that they have full control of what happens).

In this case however you can get to this stage.

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As /usr/local/bin is before /opt/local/bin in your path then you will get the Homebrew program before the macports one.

Best Answer

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