DarwinPorts provides an easy and very powerful toolset for installing cross-platform UNIX software through an easy to use interface via the terminal (command line).
Where to get it: http://darwinports.org/getdp/
Installation:
- Uncompress the installation package using Stuffit Expander
- Double-Click on the DarwinPorts.mpkg icon inside the DarwinPorts disk image.
- Open the Terminal.app
- You’ll need to add the following to your $PATH environment variable:
/opt/local/bin - Open a new Terminal.app window and type the following at the prompt:
port - Make sure DarwinPorts is up to date:
sudo port -d selfupdate
If you are using Panther or newer (I’m using Tiger), you can add it to your .profile file using your favorite text editor (I used vi) by adding this line:
export PATH=$PATH:/opt/local/bin
You may need to create a new .profile text file if it doesn’t already exist in your home directory.
If your path and DarwinPorts is installed correctly you should see the following:
$ port
Usage: port [-vdqfonausbck] [-D portdir] target [flags] [portname] [options] [variants]
Now you are ready to install all kinds of useful software, simply by typing the following at the Terminal.app prompt:
port install [portname]
You can search for a program by typing the following command:
port search [portname]
To see a list of available programs you can use:
port list
or you can visit: http://darwinports.org/ports/