Macports????

Sumleilmus · 02-28-2013, 12:17 AM

On a new MacBook Pro 9,2, I recreated my user account then made a second admin user. I booted in the 2nd user, and used Migration Assistant to migrate everything I could migrate from the old MacBook Pro 7,1. I imported my user account "over" the one I had created, and deleted the second user account I had created after reboot.

On that day, I acquired a root level visible directory named opt, and an apparent new user at /Users, named macports. The new user shows up in the tree on my drive's graphical interface, but is not listed in SystemPreferences>Users. I tried to use the command line to list all users, logged in or not, but reading /etc/passwd did not help: I did not even find my user listed there.

I don't know what MacPorts is. I read the fairly technical developerish materials on their site. I searched these forums, and found mostly posts from people with broken MacPorts trying to make it work again. I've been using Macs for a looooooong time, and can't recall seeing it before.

At macports.org, I read "If you need to uninstall MacPorts, and your port command is functioning…" It's amazing to me that I might have to learn all about this just to get rid of it, but I don't want to harm my new system.

Can anyone shed some light on this? I've tried to figure it out, but my best clue is that the time stamp on the opt directory and the macports user is the exact same day, hour, minute as many other files moved by Migration Assistant.

I have examined my Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner backups of my former machine: no opt directory, no macports user.

benwiggy · 02-28-2013, 05:07 AM

MacPorts may well have been installed if you ever installed some Linux/Unix software.
I had a similar thing, where I had used it to install Font Forge (which still didn't work), and although I had deleted most of it, the User came across with Migration Assistant.
IIRC, the MacPorts user was shown in System Prefs (on 10.8), and I deleted it there.

acme.mail.order · 02-28-2013, 07:03 AM

Macports is a command-line program manager, it is of nearly zero value unless you are a command-line jockey, and will cause no harm if you leave it alone. I have MacPorts and another package manager on all my machines.

Normally the opt folder is hidden, if you want to reclaim the space you can just delete it. /Users/macports is probably an artifact of the Migration Assistant - I've never seen it before, and it can go too.

Sumleilmus · 02-28-2013, 07:47 AM

acme.mail.order, benwiggy,

Thanks.

I'll get rid of the items in question and won't worry.

02-28-2013, 12:17 AM	#1
Sumleilmus MVP Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: / Posts: 1,045	Macports???? On a new MacBook Pro 9,2, I recreated my user account then made a second admin user. I booted in the 2nd user, and used Migration Assistant to migrate everything I could migrate from the old MacBook Pro 7,1. I imported my user account "over" the one I had created, and deleted the second user account I had created after reboot. On that day, I acquired a root level visible directory named opt, and an apparent new user at /Users, named macports. The new user shows up in the tree on my drive's graphical interface, but is not listed in SystemPreferences>Users. I tried to use the command line to list all users, logged in or not, but reading /etc/passwd did not help: I did not even find my user listed there. I don't know what MacPorts is. I read the fairly technical developerish materials on their site. I searched these forums, and found mostly posts from people with broken MacPorts trying to make it work again. I've been using Macs for a looooooong time, and can't recall seeing it before. At macports.org, I read "If you need to uninstall MacPorts, and your port command is functioning…" It's amazing to me that I might have to learn all about this just to get rid of it, but I don't want to harm my new system. Can anyone shed some light on this? I've tried to figure it out, but my best clue is that the time stamp on the opt directory and the macports user is the exact same day, hour, minute as many other files moved by Migration Assistant. I have examined my Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner backups of my former machine: no opt directory, no macports user. __________________ Sumleilmus ________ 10.8.3 MacBook Pro 9,2, 10.8.3 Mac Pro 3,1, iMac 9,1, 10.8.3 hemisphere Motorola iMac, & iOS 5.1.1 iPhone 4S…not to mention SheepShaver

02-28-2013, 07:47 AM	#4
Sumleilmus MVP Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: / Posts: 1,045	away with all pests acme.mail.order, benwiggy, Thanks. I'll get rid of the items in question and won't worry. __________________ Sumleilmus ________ 10.8.3 MacBook Pro 9,2, 10.8.3 Mac Pro 3,1, iMac 9,1, 10.8.3 hemisphere Motorola iMac, & iOS 5.1.1 iPhone 4S…not to mention SheepShaver

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02-28-2013, 05:07 AM	#2
benwiggy League Commissioner Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,071	MacPorts may well have been installed if you ever installed some Linux/Unix software. I had a similar thing, where I had used it to install Font Forge (which still didn't work), and although I had deleted most of it, the User came across with Migration Assistant. IIRC, the MacPorts user was shown in System Prefs (on 10.8), and I deleted it there.

02-28-2013, 07:03 AM	#3
acme.mail.order League Commissioner Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tokyo Posts: 6,057	Macports is a command-line program manager, it is of nearly zero value unless you are a command-line jockey, and will cause no harm if you leave it alone. I have MacPorts and another package manager on all my machines. Normally the opt folder is hidden, if you want to reclaim the space you can just delete it. /Users/macports is probably an artifact of the Migration Assistant - I've never seen it before, and it can go too.